Scotland · Scotland
ADHD assessment in Edinburgh
The short answer
There are two ways to be assessed for ADHD in Edinburgh: an NHS referral through your GP to NHS Lothian, or paying privately. Most private assessments are carried out by video, so your choice of provider is rarely limited by where you live. Adults and children and young people are seen by different services, at different prices.
01 — The NHS route
Referral through NHS Lothian.
In Lothian an ADHD referral is made by your GP against the board's own published referral guidance.
NHS Lothian publishes the adult ADHD referral guidance its GPs work to, including the symptom screener and impairment check a referral is expected to cover.
NHS Lothian RefHelp — AD(H)D in adults — checked 2026-09-23
The referral starts with your GP in every case. Adults and children go to separate services, so the wait your neighbour was quoted for a child tells you nothing about the adult list. Ask your GP to confirm the current position in writing when the referral is made — we do not publish local waiting times, because we have no way to check them reliably.
02 — Right to Choose
Not available in Scotland.
Right to Choose is an England-only scheme, so it does not apply in Scotland. That leaves the NHS referral route through your GP, or paying privately.
03 — Private options
What is actually available to someone in Edinburgh.
In person in Edinburgh
None of the provider records we hold publishes an in-person clinic address in Edinburgh. That is what our records show, not a statement that no clinic exists — if you know of one, tell us and we will check it. We do not estimate travel distance or list a clinic in another city as though it were local.
Remote and national options
8 of the provider records we hold publish remote assessment by video. These are national services, not Edinburgh clinics — they are available to you here, but they are not local coverage.
04 — Cost
What private assessment costs, adults and children kept apart.
Adults: £400 to £950 across 6 published figures from 6 records. Set nationally by each provider, not by city.
Children and young people: £625 to £1,295 across 4 published figures from 4 records. Set nationally by each provider, not by city.
Every figure comes from a provider's own published price with the date we read it. The headline fee is not the whole cost: titration, prescriptions and annual reviews are often billed separately.
05 — Who is being assessed
Adults and children follow separate pathways.
Adults
Getting assessed as an adult
Self-referral is not usually possible on the NHS; it starts with your GP. Medication and shared care are the parts people get caught out by.
Children and young people
Referral for a child
A separate service, separate waiting list and a higher private fee. School evidence usually forms part of the referral.
Where to go next
- How to get an ADHD assessment in the UKThe national route: GP referral, Right to Choose and paying privately, start to finish.
- Which route fits me?Answer a few questions and see which of the routes you are actually eligible for.
- Find an assessmentFilter providers on what they publish — including whether they assess anyone in Edinburgh in person.
- Compare published feesEvery fee we hold with its source and the date we read it, adults and children priced separately.
- Getting assessed as an adultSelf-referral, medication and shared care — the adult pathway on its own.
- Referral for a child or young personA separate service, separate waiting list and school evidence as part of the referral.
Questions
Common questions
- 01
- Can I get an NHS ADHD assessment in Edinburgh?
- Yes. The NHS route starts with your GP, who refers you to the NHS Lothian service for adults or for children and young people. In Scotland that GP referral is the only NHS route, as Right to Choose does not operate here. Waits vary and are often quoted in months or years rather than weeks, so ask your GP what the current position is when you are referred.
- 02
- Does Right to Choose work in Edinburgh?
- No. Right to Choose is an England-only scheme, so it is not available in Edinburgh. Your options are an NHS referral through your GP, or paying privately.
- 03
- Do I have to be assessed in person in Edinburgh?
- Usually not. Most independent UK ADHD providers assess by video appointment, which means where you live rarely limits your choice of private provider. In-person appointments are less common and depend on a provider publishing a clinic address.
- 04
- What does a private ADHD assessment cost in Edinburgh?
- Private fees are set nationally by each provider rather than by city, and adult and children's assessments are priced differently. Compare the published fees, and check what is billed separately afterwards — titration, prescriptions and reviews are where the cost usually grows.