Assessment
What you are buying – and what a private assessment does not guarantee.
Decision Kit · England · PDF
Before you pay for a private ADHD assessment
Understand the pathway, real costs and prescribing implications before you spend £1,000+.
An assessment isn’t a single transaction
It’s easy to focus on the assessment fee alone. The pathway often continues beyond the first appointment.
- Diagnosis
- Medication decision
- Titration
- Prescribing
- Shared care ?
- Ongoing review
The guide groups what may follow into three areas worth understanding before you pay.
Medication
What may follow diagnosis if medication is appropriate – titration, scripts and ongoing cost.
Shared care
GP prescribing realities before you book – so continuity is not a surprise later.
Before you pay, can you answer these?
You don’t need to be an expert. These are practical checks before you commit.
Have you checked whether NHS Right to Choose could be an option? If you’re eligible in England, there may be an NHS-funded route worth investigating before self-funding.
Do you know how your GP approaches ADHD shared-care requests? A private diagnosis does not automatically mean your GP will take over routine prescribing.
Do you know the potential cost of the whole pathway – not just the assessment? Titration, prescriptions, medication, follow-up and annual reviews can all add up.
Do you know what happens if ADHD isn’t diagnosed? You’re paying for a clinical assessment – not a guaranteed diagnosis.
Do you know who will actually assess you, and their qualifications? Background, experience and process matter.
If medication is appropriate, what happens if shared care isn’t available from your GP? Who would prescribe, and what could ongoing private care involve?
Couldn’t confidently answer all six? That doesn’t mean you’re making the wrong decision. It means there may be information worth gathering first.
What’s actually inside
A practical 41-page decision guide for adults considering ADHD assessment in England.
NHS, Right to Choose & Private Pathway Guide
Compare the main routes in England and what differs before you wait, explore Right to Choose, or self-fund.
True-Cost Guide + First-Year Cost Calculator
Look past the headline fee – assessment, titration, prescriptions, medication, follow-ups and annual review.
Shared-Care Guide + GP Question Sheet
What shared care actually means, why it shouldn’t be assumed, and what to ask your GP.
15 Questions to Ask an ADHD Clinic
Clinician, process, report, fees, medication, titration, prescribing and ongoing care – not price and wait alone.
Assessment Quality Guide + Provider Scorecard
What a clinically credible adult ADHD assessment looks like, with a scorecard to compare providers.
Medication, Titration & Ongoing Care Guide
What may follow diagnosis if medication is appropriate and something you want to pursue.
Realistic Pathway Scenarios + Decision Matrix
Including no diagnosis or shared care unavailable – and what matters most in your own decision.
Printable Before-I-Pay Checklist
Bring options, clinician, fees, prescribing and ongoing costs together before you book.
Take a look inside
Practical tools you can use before making your decision.
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Routes
Compare your routes NHS, Right to Choose and fully private – side by side in the kit.
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Costs
Calculate potential costs First-year totals, not only the assessment fee.
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Questions
Know what to ask Ready-made sheets for your GP and prospective clinics.
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Checklist
Check before you book A before-I-pay list so fewer surprises after payment.
Written by an experienced ADHD clinician
“I created this guide because I wanted people considering an ADHD assessment to understand the whole pathway before committing to it. My aim isn’t to tell you whether you should go private, use Right to Choose, take medication or pursue assessment at all. It’s to help you understand the questions worth asking so that you can make a more informed decision for yourself.”
Already booked your assessment?
The Decision Kit is for pathway and cost decisions in England. If you have a date – or a long wait – and need to organise examples before the day, see the assessment workbook.
Questions before you buy
Isn’t this information available for free online?
Yes – bits of it are. What’s harder to find is one clear pathway that pulls it together, plus the practical tools (cost calculator, GP and clinic questions, scorecard, decision matrix, checklist). It’s less “more reading,” more “what to check before you decide.”
Is this an ADHD assessment or medical advice?
No. It’s an educational decision guide – not a diagnosis, not a prescription, and not a substitute for personal medical advice.
Do I need to have already decided to go private?
No. It’s meant to help before that choice. It covers local NHS, Right to Choose and fully private, so you can see what actually differs in practice.
What if I’m considering Right to Choose?
There’s a dedicated section on what it is, what it isn’t, and what to ask about assessment, treatment, prescribing and ongoing care. Written for England, where Right to Choose applies.
I’ve already found a private ADHD clinic. Is the guide still useful?
Often yes. There are 15 questions for a prospective clinic – who assesses you, how it works, fees, medication, titration, prescribing and follow-up – so you can pressure-test a provider you’re already looking at.
Does a private ADHD diagnosis mean my GP will prescribe my medication?
Not automatically. Shared care is an agreement, not a given – and a GP practice can decline. The guide walks through that and helps you check your practice’s position before you rely on it.
What if I don’t want to take ADHD medication?
Still useful. Assessment, diagnosis and medication are separate decisions. Medication is covered because it’s part of the pathway for some people – not because you should take it.
Will the guide tell me which ADHD clinic to choose?
No. It doesn’t rank or recommend clinics. It gives you questions and criteria so you can compare options.
Is the guide relevant outside England?
It’s written for England (including Right to Choose). Some principles travel; pathways and prescribing don’t always. Don’t assume England-specific detail applies elsewhere.
How do I receive the guide?
After purchase you get digital access to the PDF – save it and work through the guide, worksheets and checklists in your own time.
Could the information change?
Yes. Pathways and shared-care policies move. The guide is versioned and dated; where something depends on local or clinic rules, check the current position before you act.
Free educational quiz
Still working out what may be going on?
If you are not ready to look at private ADHD assessment pathways, a free educational quiz can help you notice what may be contributing to overwhelm, low mood, poor concentration or feeling stuck. It is not a diagnosis or a clinical assessment.
Ready when you are
Before you pay for an assessment, understand the whole pathway
Worth understanding what you’re buying, what may happen afterwards, and what questions to ask before you book.
Educational decision support – not an ADHD assessment, prescribing service or individual medical advice. Right to Choose is an NHS England mechanism; always verify current local arrangements before acting. Returns and refunds