Private ADHD Assessment London: Costs, What’s Included, and Whether Your GP Will Play Ball
The NHS ADHD waiting list in London can stretch to years. So you’re considering going private — but the pricing is all over the place, and nobody seems to give you a straight answer about what happens afterwards. Here’s what you actually need to know.
What Does a Private ADHD Assessment Cost in London?
Prices vary more than they should. For adults, you’re realistically looking at £650 at the lower end up to £1,200–£1,400+ for premium Harley Street-style services. Children’s assessments cost more — typically £900 to £1,900.
Some real 2025–26 examples: Private ADHD clinic charges £650 for adults and £900 for children. Chase Lodge Hospital sits at £750–£800 for adults (video vs in-person) and £990 for children. Harley Psychiatrists comes in at £785 for adults. London Psychiatry Clinic starts from £1,160. At the top end, Harley Street Mental Health lists child assessments at £1,400–£1,900.
Chase Lodge quote a UK average of £1,267, so anything below that for a reputable London clinic represents reasonable value.
But the headline price isn’t the whole story. Titration (the process of finding the right medication dose) is usually charged separately — Private ADHD, for example, charges £245 per month for titration and £95 for repeat prescriptions. If your GP won’t take over prescribing, those costs continue indefinitely.
What Does a Private ADHD Assessment Actually Include?
Most reputable clinics follow a similar structure, though what’s bundled into the fee differs.
Expect pre-assessment questionnaires, a structured clinical interview (typically 60–90 minutes for adults, up to 2 hours at some clinics), and a formal written diagnostic report. The DIVA interview tool is commonly used for adults. For children, clinics usually gather parent and teacher reports alongside rating scales like the ADHD-RS.
The report matters. It should detail findings, reasoning, and recommendations — and be suitable for sharing with your GP and employer for workplace adjustments.
What varies: some clinics include the first prescription in the assessment fee (Chase Lodge does). Others charge separately for titration, shared-care letters, or extra follow-up appointments. London Psychiatry Clinic charges from £290 for a standard 30-minute follow-up. Always ask what’s included before booking.
Will Your GP Accept a Private Diagnosis for NHS Prescribing?
This is where things get complicated — and where a lot of people get caught out.
There’s no national rule forcing GPs to take over prescribing after a private diagnosis. It depends entirely on your local Integrated Care Board (ICB) and your individual GP practice. Some will. Many won’t.
Suffolk and North East Essex ICB is explicit: if you self-fund the assessment, expect to self-fund everything that follows, including medication. Hertfordshire and West Essex advises GPs to only take on prescribing once patients are assessed by an NHS service or via an approved shared-care agreement. Box Surgery in Devon only accepts shared-care from providers with a current NHS contract.
Private clinics often describe their reports as “recognised by the NHS” — and a diagnosis from a GMC-registered psychiatrist with a proper structured report does carry weight. But even Private ADHD’s own website states that a Shared Care Agreement “is not guaranteed and depends on individual GP practice policy.” That’s honest, and it’s the reality.
If your GP refuses shared care, you’re either continuing to pay privately for prescriptions or pushing to be transferred into an NHS ADHD service, which brings you back to waiting lists.
Is There a Cheaper Route? NHS Right to Choose Explained
If you’re in England, there’s an option many people don’t know about: NHS Right to Choose (RTC).
Under the NHS Constitution, you have a legal right to choose any provider with an NHS contract for your assessment — including many organisations that also operate privately. South West London ICB confirms this covers ADHD assessments and is paid for by the NHS, not you. Providers like Care ADHD and The Owl Centre offer assessments under this framework.
The difference matters beyond cost. Because RTC providers hold NHS contracts, GPs and ICBs are far more willing to enter shared-care arrangements with them. You get a faster route than the standard NHS waiting list, it costs you nothing upfront, and your ongoing prescribing is much more likely to transfer to your GP.
The catch: you need a GP referral, the provider must hold an NHS contract, and waits still vary. You can’t pick any private clinic and expect NHS funding. But if you qualify, it’s a significantly better deal than self-funding.
For comparison: a self-funded private assessment at £650–£800, with no shared-care, plus £245/month titration and £95 repeat prescriptions, adds up fast. Over a year of private prescribing, you could easily spend £2,000+ beyond the initial assessment.
How Find Health London Can Help
Find Health London is a CQC-registered private healthcare directory covering London. If you’re looking for a private ADHD assessment, the directory lets you compare clinics, check CQC registration status, and find providers suited to adults or children — without trawling through individual clinic websites.