Free tool
Do you actually need to pay for an ADHD assessment?
In the UK you never have to pay for an ADHD assessment. The NHS route is free everywhere, and in England NHS Right to Choose lets you pick an NHS-funded provider, also free. People pay privately only to be seen sooner. This tool asks a few questions and points you to the cheapest legitimate route for your situation, which for most people starts with a free NHS or Right to Choose referral.
Information only, not medical advice and not a diagnosis. Only a registered clinician can diagnose ADHD. This tool helps you choose a route, it does not assess you. If you have concerns, speak to your GP.
A few quick questions
NHS Right to Choose is an England-only legal right. The other nations have their own NHS referral routes.
Your suggested route
Whatever the tool suggests, the free routes are the honest default. Read how NHS Right to Choose works, compare NHS vs private, and if you still want to pay see how to find a provider.
How this router decides (methodology and sources)
The logic is built on three facts, not on selling anything. First, an NHS adult ADHD assessment is free at the point of use across the UK (Source: NHS, nhs.uk, checked 13 June 2026). Second, in England NHS Right to Choose gives a legal right to choose an NHS-funded provider, which can shorten the wait at no cost (Source: NHS, "Your choices in the NHS", nhs.uk, and the Right to Choose framework, checked 13 June 2026). Third, going private buys speed, not a better or more valid assessment, because reputable providers on every route follow the same NICE NG87 guidance (Source: NICE NG87, checked 13 June 2026).
So the router always surfaces a free route first, only suggests paying when you have said you both can afford it and need to be seen sooner, and flags that ongoing private prescribing cost depends on a GP shared-care agreement that is not guaranteed. If you indicate you are in crisis, it shows urgent-help signposting and stops, because that is a clinical safety matter, not a routing question.
Frequently asked questions
Is there ever a reason I have to pay for an ADHD assessment?
No, not in the UK. Every adult in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can be referred for an NHS adult ADHD assessment at no cost. In England you can also use NHS Right to Choose to pick an NHS-funded provider, which is still free. People pay privately only to be seen sooner, never because the NHS route is unavailable or a worse assessment.
Does paying privately get me a better or more valid diagnosis?
No. A private assessment is not more valid than an NHS one. Reputable providers on every route work to the same NICE guidance and use clinicians registered with the GMC or relevant professional body. The only thing money tends to buy is a shorter wait.
What is the hidden cost of going private?
Ongoing prescribing. After a private assessment and titration, your GP can agree shared care to move medication to NHS prescription charges, but they are not obliged to. If shared care is declined, you keep paying private prescription and review fees, which is often the largest long-term cost of going private.
This is not a diagnosis and not medical advice. ADHD can only be diagnosed by a registered clinician, and treatment decisions belong with them. If cost is a barrier, the NHS route, including Right to Choose in England, is free at the point of use.
Editor, ADHD Helper
Oliver leads ADHD Helper's editorial coverage of adult ADHD. He researches and writes the plain-English explainers on getting an ADHD assessment through NHS Right to Choose or privately, and on the products and tools people use to manage ADHD, drawing on guidance from the NHS, NICE and the Royal College of Psychiatrists. He is clear that the site is information, not medical advice, and that diagnosis is for a registered clinician.
Last reviewed: 13 June 2026