Medication is highly effective for ADHD, having proven pharmacological benefits for 90% of those that try them, however getting access to medication via the NHS is an ongoing problem. NHS waiting times vary between 6 months, 7 years and “not available”. It very much depends on your region and urgency in comparison to everyone else. The access point is usually via your GP.
Inevitably some people decide to have – and can afford – a private assessment. We do not recommend any particular provider as a matter of policy, as clinic personnel change and everyone has different needs and preferences.
ADHD Compare is a website that lists many ADHD assessment clinics across the UK, for which they don’t charge. They are UK-based and registered with the ICO. We have no affiliation, but the listings they offer are fact-based, impartial and they are responsive to emails when adding or updating clinics. ADHD Compare do also list some other ADHD-related offers such as therapy, counselling, CBT/DBT and coaching but for their listings for those areas are currently less complete.
Beyond that also consider “vibe”. Getting on with your clinician tends to have a measurable improvement on the outcomes. Trust Pilot may also give you some insights here, although – as with all comparison sites – these things can be gamed, so read the actual reviews to get a real sense of where each clinic’s strengths and weaknesses are.
We are sometimes asked if we know of alternative funding sources for private assessments, if an NHS assessment is not available locally within a reasonable time period. Unfortunately we are not aware of any such options. Sometimes people save up their ADP payments – if they qualify, and can afford to do so – to use it to pay for assessment and medication.
Things you may want to ask a clinic
- Are you registered with Healthcare Improvement Scotland? (this is a legal requirement for Scotland-based organisations)
- What is your waiting list time?
- Are you able to prescribe medication, as well as doing the assessment? (we typically recommend that it is best to find a clinic that does both, as that makes the paperwork easier)
- What are the costs of an assessment? (here it is often useful to ask for a combined Autism and ADHD assessment if you can afford it – more details on this below)
- What are the costs of titration appointments, and how often will they happen? (titration is the process of finding out what medication is right for you, as it is highly individualistic)
- What are the costs of being prescribed medication each time, after titration? Costs of private medication can be anything from £25 a month to £150 a month, depending on the precise prescription you need.
- Do you offer in-person appointments, online or both? (each option has their pros and cons, based on your preference and needs)
- Have any Scottish GPs recently accepted your assessments under a Shared Care agreement? (this is fairly rare these days, but does happen from time to time; you would also need to check with your GP as to whether they would accept it – see more details in the next section)
- Do you offer any other services to support ADHDers beyond assessment and medication? (this is a stretch goal, and many clinics do not offer this)
Shared Care
Shared care is when GPs pay the cost of ADHD assessments and prescriptions.
The vast majority of Scottish GPs do NOT offer shared care. It is entirely at their discretion, but it never hurts to ask. Some regions (health boards) ban them entirely, although occasionally GPs will still ignore this! So it is a case by case basis.
For Shared Care, ask your doctor which providers they have previously accepted referrals from, as it is unlikely that they will accept Shared Care from all providers due to differences in documentation provided.
There are up to four elements where Shared Care may be provided:
- Assessment
- Titration (finding out whether medication works for you, and the right type of drugs and quantity)
- Ongoing medication (after titration)
- Medication review
Usually, if shared care is going to be covered, it is only for the third stage: ongoing medication. Even if this stage is covered, sometimes you will still have to pay for an medication review, which tend to be yearly. The only way you will find out what your GP offers and is willing to do, is to have an individual conversation with them. That said, if you are considering changing GPs, then you can phone your local GP practice secretaries/receptionists and ask what typically happens with such requests.
Right to Choose
Right to choose is not available in Scotland. It is a scheme only available in England.
ADHD, Autism and other highly co-occurring conditions
Autism and ADHD highly co-occur, that it is to say that if you have one there is approximately a 40% chance you will have the other. Although there are no medication options for autism, for many people having the diagnosis helps them further understand themselves and gives ideas for avenues of support and investigation.
Similarly with dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, tourettes and bi-polar, these often co-occur. If you think you may have one or more these, seeking a clinic with experience of supporting these can be highly beneficial.
For example, with both an autism and ADHD assessment, there are elements of commonality and interaction, so having both assessments combined saves time and money in comparison to having both separately, so it is something to be considered if you can afford it, have the “brain space”, and think you are likely to have autism. You can do an initial autism “screening” check here – this shows whether it is a reasonable possibility that you have autism.
Medication
There’s a lot to be said about medication, but here the main point is that what works for you, may not work or even be detrimental for someone else. A non-medical example is caffeine, which some ADHDers use as a stimulate to wake them up and give energy for the day, for others it does nothing, whilst some ADHDers use it as a relaxant – it calms the mind and help them go to sleep. Your prescriber is best placed, and trained, to identify what is likely to work for you.
Medication is only part of the answer
Medication is beneficial to ADHDers in 80%-90% of cases, but it is not a complete solution. It only addresses some of the challenges that someone with ADHD can experience.
We’ve produced a guide to the extra options you might want to consider.
Disclaimer
We have vetted ADHD Compare to the best of our abilities and there has been no incentive (financial or otherwise) for writing about ADHD Compare. We hope you find them a useful resource for navigating the world of ADHD assessment, but recommend you do your own research too.