ADHD and autism assessment in Edinburgh

NHS Lothian reports the longest board-wide adult wait in Scotland — here is what that means in practice, and every route open to you in Edinburgh and the Lothians

Reviewed by ADHD Scot,

Where Lothian stands

NHS ADHD and autism assessment for the City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian, and West Lothian is provided by NHS Lothian, which serves a combined population of around 900,000.

The adult wait here is the longest board-wide figure reported by any Scottish health board. NHS Lothian's response to our Freedom of Information request, with figures at 22 July 2026, showed a median adult wait of 177 weeks — about three years and five months — with 12,769 adults on the list. For under-18s, the median wait was 141.5 weeks, with 12,275 children and young people waiting. That puts more than 25,000 people on Lothian's combined lists. The board cannot separate ADHD from autism in its records, so every figure covers both conditions together. Board-by-board comparisons are on our NHS waiting times page, and the full response is in our FOI tracker.

None of this means a referral is pointless — but it does mean it is worth understanding the whole picture before deciding how to proceed.

How the adult pathway works

For adults, everything starts with your GP, who refers you to adult psychiatry or a specialist neurodevelopmental service — our NHS Lothian page walks through the pathway step by step. NHS Lothian publishes referral guidelines for adult ADHD through its RefHelp system, which GPs use to decide where a referral should go. Those guidelines specifically mention the WFIRS-S (Weiss Functional Impairment Rating Scale, Self Report) as a way of showing how symptoms affect daily life.

To give your referral the best chance:

  • Give specific examples of how symptoms affect your work, studies, home life, and relationships — not just "I struggle to focus"
  • Explain that symptoms have been present since childhood, even if nobody recognised them at the time
  • Complete our ADHD self-screener or autism screener beforehand so you have something concrete to bring along
  • Consider completing a WFIRS-S as well, since NHS Lothian's own GP referral guidance names it
  • Ask explicitly for a referral to adult psychiatry or the neurodevelopmental service for assessment

If your GP is reluctant, you are entitled to ask why, and you can seek a second opinion from another GP within the same practice.

Referring a child or young person

In Lothian, referrals for under-18s do not have to come from a GP. Schools, health visitors, and other professionals can also refer, using NHS Lothian's neurodevelopmental referral form available through the NHS Lothian neurodiversity service. Under Scotland's national Children's Neurodevelopmental Pathway framework, support at school should be based on need rather than diagnosis — you do not need to wait for an assessment before asking for help.

Support that does not depend on a diagnosis

With waits this long, what you can access in the meantime matters. NHS Lothian's neurodiversity team provides information, resources, and some forms of support without requiring a formal diagnosis. The Scottish ADHD Coalition maps peer support groups across Scotland, several of which serve Edinburgh and the Lothians, and most do not require a diagnosis to attend. ADHD UK and Scottish Autism also run peer communities, and our support page links to the main national organisations.

If you live in Midlothian and are struggling with anxiety, stress, or low mood while waiting, Health in Mind's Midlothian Access Point offers free appointments, usually within three weeks.

Private assessment in Edinburgh

A number of private providers offer ADHD and autism assessments in Edinburgh and the Lothians, either in person or online. Private assessment typically costs between £800 and £2,000 for adults, with some variation depending on the provider and the type of assessment.

Key things to consider when choosing a private provider:

HIS registration: Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) is Scotland's regulator for private healthcare. An HIS-registered provider has been inspected and meets required standards. Not all providers are legally required to register — services that do not employ, engage, or grant practising privileges to a medical doctor, nurse, or other listed professional are exempt, as are England-based online providers regulated by the CQC. Our regulation page explains what this means, and you can filter by HIS status on our compare tool.

Shared care support: If you receive a private ADHD diagnosis and are prescribed medication, you will initially pay for private prescriptions. Many people then ask their NHS GP to take over prescribing through a shared care agreement, which is cheaper long-term. Not all GPs agree to this, and not all private providers support the process. See our shared care guide for more detail.

Assessment method: A thorough assessment uses validated rating scales (such as Conners, DIVA-5, or ADOS-2 for autism) and gathers information from someone who knows you, not just self-report. Our compare tool shows which providers use these tools.

Find private providers near Edinburgh →

After a diagnosis

ADHD medication

If you receive an ADHD diagnosis and are prescribed medication privately, you can ask your NHS GP to take over prescribing through a shared care agreement. Shared care for ADHD medication is used across Scotland, though the specifics vary by health board, and individual GPs retain the right to decline. Our shared care guide explains the process and what to do if your GP refuses.

Support for autistic people

Following an autism diagnosis, Edinburgh City Council's social care and health services coordinates adult support, and organisations such as Autism Initiatives Scotland provide support specifically for autistic adults. Our after diagnosis page has more guidance on next steps, and our autism assessment in Edinburgh guide covers the autism pathway in more depth.

Useful links

ADHD Scot is an independent, non-clinical information project. Nothing here is medical advice. If you think you may have ADHD or autism, the right first step is a conversation with your GP.