Online ADHD assessment UK — comparison

Adult ADHD assessment is the highest-stakes piece of digital healthcare on the UK market. Get the wrong provider and you get a diagnosis the NHS won't honour for shared-care prescribing — meaning you pay £150-200/month for stimulants indefinitely.

What to check before you pay

1. GMC-registered psychiatrist conducting the assessment. Not a 'nurse practitioner' or 'specialist counsellor'. The shared-care expectation is that a consultant psychiatrist authored the diagnosis.
2. Two-session minimum. The DIVA-5 / ACE+ takes longer than 90 minutes when done properly. Single-session 'assessments' are a clinical red flag.
3. Shared-care letter. The provider should produce a shared-care letter on request that explicitly transfers responsibility to your NHS GP at agreed milestones. If they can't produce one, the diagnosis won't translate.
4. NICE-aligned titration. Methylphenidate or lisdexamfetamine titration takes 6-12 weeks. Watch for providers who promise titration in 2-3 weeks — that's not how the medication works.

Cost comparison

Assessment fees range from £295 to £1,200 in 2026. The cheaper end correlates with single-session online assessments, which often fail shared-care requirements. The more expensive end usually includes a longer assessment, a written report, and a guaranteed shared-care letter.

See /digital/mental-health-adhd for the per-clinic breakdown and current waitlists.

What we'd want a friend to know

The NHS Right to Choose pathway is genuinely viable in 2026, but the wait varies wildly by region (4-26 months). If you can wait, it's free and shared-care is automatic. If you can't, pay once for the right assessment from a reputable private provider rather than paying twice for a quick assessment that doesn't transfer.