If you’ve just started looking into a private ADHD assessment, the price spread you’re seeing — anywhere from £399 to over £1,500 — is genuinely confusing, and there’s a reason for it. The fee covers different things depending on the clinic, the clinician’s seniority, and whether ongoing care is included. As a consultant psychiatrist and co-founder of Flint Healthcare, I want to give you a straight answer to “how much does this actually cost,” and the questions you should ask before you pay anyone.
This is an honest 2026 breakdown. No upsell, no scare tactics, and clear flags for when private isn’t the right route.
How much does a private ADHD assessment cost in the UK in 2026?
A private adult ADHD assessment in the UK costs between £400 and £1,500 in 2026, with most consultant-led assessments falling between £700 and £1,200.
Prices reflect three things: who conducts the assessment, how long it takes, and what happens after the diagnostic interview. Here is what published fees look like across the market this year:
| Provider type | Typical fee (adult) | Usually includes |
| Online, non-consultant entry level (e.g. CARE ADHD from £399) | £399 – £600 | Video interview, screening tools, written outcome letter |
| Mid-range consultant or specialist (e.g. Harley Psychiatrists ~£685, Clinical Partners £895) | £685 – £950 | Consultant interview, validated rating scales, diagnostic report |
| Consultant psychiatrist, in-person or online mental health assessment (e.g. The ADHD Centre £695–£1,095, Psychiatry-UK £950, Chase Lodge £750 video / £800 in-person) | £700 – £1,200 | Longer assessment (60–90 min+), DIVA-5 / ACE+, formulation, treatment plan |
| Hospital-based or full assessment-plus-titration package | £1,100 – £1,500+ | Assessment, report, initial follow-up, sometimes first titration session |
A few important caveats. First, these are published headline fees as of May 2026 — confirm directly with any clinic before booking, because pricing has risen across the sector over the last two years. Second, the headline fee is rarely the total bill. Most adults reach a stable treatment plan only after titration and follow-up, which typically adds £500–£1,000 across the first three to six months. We’ll cover that in the next section.
What’s actually included in the fee?
A standard private ADHD assessment fee covers pre-assessment questionnaires, a 60–90 minute clinical interview, corroborative history, the diagnostic decision, and a written report for your GP.
Most reputable consultant-led assessments include:
- Pre-assessment screening — validated questionnaires (typically the ASRS, Wender Utah Rating Scale, and a self-report symptom inventory)
- A structured clinical interview of at least 60 minutes, ideally using the Diagnostic Interview for ADHD in Adults (DIVA-5) or the ACE+
- Corroborative history — usually a questionnaire to a parent, partner or close family member
- Differential diagnosis — ruling out conditions that look like ADHD (anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, trauma, thyroid issues)
- A written diagnostic report suitable for your GP and employer, if needed
What is usually not included in the headline fee — and where surprise costs come from — is everything that happens after the diagnosis:
- Medication titration: £300–£750+ across roughly 8–12 weeks while a clinician finds the right medication and dose
- Follow-up appointments: typically £195–£300 per review, with reviews needed monthly during titration and quarterly thereafter
- Shared-care agreement letter to your GP: often charged separately, commonly around £100
- Repeat private prescriptions: usually £25–£50 per script, plus the pharmacy cost of the medication itself
- ECG and physical monitoring before starting stimulant medication, where indicated
If a clinic quotes you £499 and only £499, ask explicitly what happens next — that’s where the bill usually grows.
Why do prices vary so much between clinics?
Price varies based on who conducts the assessment, how long it takes, whether a consultant psychiatrist signs off the diagnosis, and whether titration and follow-up are included.
Four factors drive the spread you see:
Clinician seniority. An assessment conducted by a consultant psychiatrist on the GMC specialist register costs more than one conducted by an ADHD nurse practitioner or a non-medical specialist. There is no clinical shortcut here: under NICE NG87, a diagnosis of ADHD in adults should be made by a specialist psychiatrist or other appropriately qualified clinician with expertise in adult ADHD. Cheaper assessments are often delivered by less senior clinicians under broader supervision — that is not automatically a problem, but it does account for some of the price difference.
Assessment length. A genuinely thorough adult ADHD assessment takes between 60 and 90 minutes of direct interview time, plus pre-reading and report-writing. A 2023 BBC News investigation reported that some private clinics had diagnosed reporters with ADHD in assessments lasting less than an hour, against more thorough NHS assessments that concluded the diagnosis was not warranted. Short assessments are cheaper to deliver. They are not, in our view, defensible.
Validated instruments. A defensible assessment uses recognised diagnostic tools — most commonly the DIVA-5, ACE+, or a structured equivalent — alongside validated rating scales. Some lower-priced services rely on self-report questionnaires alone.
Continuity of care. A clinic where the same consultant who diagnosed you also prescribes, titrates and reviews is delivering a different product to one where you are handed off to a different prescriber after diagnosis. The continuity model usually costs more upfront and less later.
Red flags: how to tell if a private ADHD assessment is clinically defensible
Look for CQC registration, a GMC-registered consultant psychiatrist, an assessment of at least 60 minutes, use of validated tools like DIVA-5, and a written diagnostic formulation.
Before you pay anyone, check the following — most of this you can verify in five minutes online:
- CQC registration. In England, any service diagnosing and treating ADHD must be registered with the Care Quality Commission. You can search the register at cqc.org.uk. No registration, no booking.
- GMC specialist register. Search the assessing clinician’s name at gmc-uk.org and confirm they hold specialist registration in general adult or child and adolescent psychiatry.
- Royal College membership. Membership of the Royal College of Psychiatrists is a useful additional signal, as is alignment with RCPsych CR235: ADHD in adults — good practice guidance (2023).
- NICE NG87-aligned process. Ask the clinic, in writing, whether their assessment follows NICE NG87. A confident answer with detail is reassuring; a vague one is not.
- Assessment length. Ask how long the interview is. Anything under 60 minutes for a first adult assessment should make you pause.
- Validated tools. Ask which diagnostic instruments they use. “DIVA-5”, “ACE+”, or “QbCheck plus structured clinical interview” are all reasonable answers.
- Willingness to share clinical reasoning. A defensible report explains why the diagnosis was reached, not just that it was. You should expect a formulation, not a verdict.
Will my GP accept a private ADHD diagnosis?
Most NHS GPs will accept a private ADHD diagnosis from a consultant psychiatrist if the assessment follows NICE NG87 and the clinic offers a shared-care agreement for prescribing.
A shared-care agreement is a written arrangement under which your private specialist handles diagnosis and initial titration, and your NHS GP then takes over routine prescribing once your medication is stable. The General Medical Council publishes guidance on how shared care should work.
Here is the honest part: shared care is not guaranteed. Some GPs decline ADHD shared-care requests, and some Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) have issued local policies advising practices not to enter into them at all. The Royal College of GPs has acknowledged this is a real and growing tension. If your GP refuses, your options are:
- Speak with the practice manager or another GP at the same practice
- Ask the ICB whether their policy actually prohibits shared care or merely doesn’t mandate it
- Continue under your private clinic for ongoing psychiatric care and prescribing — more expensive, but clinically safe
- Pursue NHS Right to Choose (England only), which can route you to an NHS-funded assessment with an approved private provider at no cost
Before booking a private assessment, it is worth asking your GP whether their practice accepts private ADHD shared-care agreements. The answer informs the real total cost of your care.
Make an Appointment with Flint Healthcare →
Does private insurance (Bupa, AXA, Vitality) cover an ADHD assessment?
Bupa, AXA and Vitality may cover an ADHD assessment if you have a GP referral and a recognised consultant psychiatrist conducts it, but most policies exclude pre-existing concerns and many exclude neurodevelopmental conditions altogether.
Coverage varies significantly by insurer and individual policy. Some comprehensive policies with mental-health add-ons will cover part of an assessment fee, often subject to annual mental-health limits (commonly £500–£1,500 per year for all mental-health treatment combined). Many standard policies treat ADHD as a chronic, pre-existing neurodevelopmental condition and exclude it altogether.
Before assuming coverage, call your insurer and ask three specific questions:
- Is adult ADHD assessment covered under my policy, or excluded as a chronic / pre-existing / neurodevelopmental condition?
- Do you require a GP referral before authorising the assessment?
- What is my annual mental-health limit, and does it cover follow-up appointments and titration as well as the initial assessment?
Get the answer in writing. Insurer position changes year to year.
Is it worth getting a private ADHD assessment?
A private ADHD assessment is worth it if your local NHS waiting list exceeds 12 months, ADHD is affecting your work, studies or relationships, and you have access to a CQC-registered, consultant-led service that provides ongoing treatment.
Private isn’t the right answer for everyone. It is less likely to be worth it if:
- You are under 18 and your local CAMHS waiting list is comparable to private (some areas now have CAMHS ADHD pathways under nine months)
- You have a complex co-occurring presentation — significant trauma, eating disorder, severe mood disorder — that benefits from a multidisciplinary NHS team
- The financial cost would create real hardship and you have not first explored NHS Right to Choose, which is free in England and now offers waits of 18 weeks to 12 months in many regions
Private is more likely to be worth it if:
- NHS waiting lists in your area exceed 12 months and you are losing income, education, or relationship stability while you wait
- You need continuity of care — the same consultant from assessment through to stable treatment
- You can verify the clinic against the red-flag checklist above
The answer is rarely “everyone should go private.” The answer is “this is the right route for you if A, B and C are true.”
Private ADHD assessment in Brighton, Hove and online with Flint Healthcare
Flint Healthcare provides consultant-led private ADHD assessment in Brighton (Woodingdean) and online UK-wide, with the same consultant psychiatrist providing assessment, prescription and review.
We are a CQC-registered, consultant-led service. Every adult ADHD assessment at Flint is conducted by a consultant psychiatrist on the GMC specialist register, uses DIVA-5 alongside validated rating scales, and produces a written diagnostic formulation suitable for your GP and, if needed, employer.
We see patients in person in Brighton, Hove, Rottingdean, Saltdean, Woodingdean, Lewes and Kemptown, and online for patients anywhere in the UK. The clinician who assesses you is the clinician who titrates your medication and reviews you afterwards — that continuity is the whole point.
You can read more about our team, or make an appointment. For Brighton, call 01273 468848. For London, call 020 4617 6042.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a private ADHD assessment take?
A defensible private adult ADHD assessment takes 60 to 90 minutes of direct interview time, plus separate pre-assessment questionnaires and a written report afterwards.
What is the 10-3 rule for ADHD?
The “10-3 rule” is not a diagnostic criterion. It’s a popular self-management technique — work in 10-minute focused intervals followed by a 3-minute break, then repeat — that some adults with ADHD use to manage executive-function and task-initiation demands. It has no formal place in NICE NG87 or DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. DSM-5 diagnosis requires onset of several symptoms before age 12, symptoms in two or more settings, and clinically significant impairment.
Can I get a private ADHD assessment online?
Yes. Video-based assessments are recognised by NICE and the Royal College of Psychiatrists when conducted by an appropriately qualified clinician using validated tools. They are typically 10–15% cheaper than in-person assessments and are often the more practical option for adults outside major cities.
What happens after a private ADHD diagnosis?
After diagnosis, the usual pathway is: discussion of treatment options (medication, psychological therapy, environmental adjustments), medication titration over 8–12 weeks if you choose to try medication, a shared-care request to your NHS GP once your dose is stable, and then quarterly or six-monthly reviews thereafter.
How much is a private ADHD and autism assessment together?
Combined ADHD and autism assessments typically cost £1,400–£2,200 when delivered by a consultant psychiatrist using validated tools for both (DIVA-5 plus ADOS-2 or equivalent). At Flint we offer private autism assessment alongside ADHD assessment where a combined picture is clinically indicated.
In summary
A private ADHD assessment in the UK in 2026 will most likely cost you between £700 and £1,200 if it’s done properly. The cheapest assessments are not always the worst, and the most expensive are not always the best — but length, clinician seniority, validated tools, and continuity of care are the four things that should drive your choice, not headline price alone.
If you’d like to talk through whether a private assessment is the right route for you,make an appointment — the first conversation costs you nothing, and we’ll tell you honestly if private isn’t your best option.
If you are in crisis, please contact Samaritans on 116 123 (free, 24/7) or call 999.
