ADHD and autism assessment in Glasgow

FOI figures show adult ADHD waits from 56 weeks in East Dunbartonshire to 139 weeks in Glasgow City — how the NHSGGC pathway works, private options, and shared care

Reviewed by ADHD Scot,

Where you live in Greater Glasgow and Clyde changes your wait

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) is Scotland's largest health board, covering around 1.2 million people across Glasgow City, Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire, East and West Dunbartonshire, and Inverclyde. It also holds Scotland's largest adult ADHD waiting list. In response to our Freedom of Information request (FOI 2601315, figures extracted 5 July 2026), the board reported 8,886 adults waiting, with a median wait of 111 weeks.

That board-wide median hides the most important local detail. The adult ADHD list is run separately by each Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP), and your HSCP is set by where your GP practice is. The reported median waits were:

  • Glasgow City — 139 weeks (4,907 waiting)
  • Renfrewshire — 88 weeks (2,207 waiting)
  • Inverclyde — 84 weeks (296 waiting)
  • East Renfrewshire — 67 weeks (582 waiting)
  • West Dunbartonshire — 58 weeks (259 waiting)
  • East Dunbartonshire — 56 weeks (635 waiting)

In other words, which side of an HSCP boundary your GP practice sits on can change your wait by well over a year. Full figures, sources, and the pathway in detail are on our NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde page, and you can read the redacted FOI response yourself. For comparison with other boards, see the NHS waiting times page.

For children and young people, NHSGGC runs one combined neurodevelopmental service that assesses ADHD, autism and other conditions together. The same FOI reported a median wait of 120 weeks for under-18 ADHD, with 2,563 waiting from GP referral, and a further 3,056 under-18s waiting for a combined ADHD-and-autism assessment.

Behind these numbers is a steep rise in demand: in Glasgow, referrals for adult ADHD assessment to Community Mental Health Teams rose by around 1,000% between 2018 and 2021 (Scottish Parliament Research Briefing SB 25-25).

Getting referred — and meeting the threshold

The route starts with your GP, who refers adults to NHSGGC adult mental health services. Referral is not automatic. Adult ADHD assessment sits within adult mental health, which applies a threshold based on how severely and persistently symptoms affect daily functioning, and NHSGGC does not appear to publish clear adult ADHD referral criteria. That makes preparation matter more than in some other board areas:

  • Give concrete examples of impact across work, study, money, relationships, mental health and safety — not just "I can't concentrate"
  • Mention that symptoms have been present since childhood, even if they were not recognised at the time
  • Bring a completed ADHD self-screener and, if possible, a WFIRS functional impairment score to evidence the level of impact
  • Ask specifically for a referral to adult mental health services for ADHD assessment, and ask your GP to record the referral date

If you are told you do not meet the threshold, ask for the written referral criteria and for the reason in writing. You also have the right to seek a second opinion from another GP within the same practice.

Private assessment in Glasgow

A number of private providers offer ADHD and autism assessments in Glasgow and the surrounding area, either in-person or online. Private assessment typically costs between £800 and £2,000 for adults, with some variation depending on the provider and whether ADHD and autism are assessed together.

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. You can filter by HIS status on our compare tool.

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 validated tools.

Find private providers near Glasgow →

Shared care — NHSGGC has a written policy

If you receive a private ADHD diagnosis and are prescribed medication, you will initially collect private prescriptions. Many people then ask their NHS GP to take over prescribing through a shared care agreement, which is cheaper long-term.

Here NHSGGC is unusual: it has a published policy on referring privately diagnosed ADHD patients into NHS mental health services, available via Right Decisions. A documented route exists, though whether your GP agrees to shared care remains their individual decision, and not all private providers actively support the process. Shared care in NHSGGC was debated in the Scottish Parliament on 24 April 2025, with ministers acknowledging the situation needed to improve. Our shared care guide explains the process and what to do if your GP refuses.

Support in Glasgow, before and after diagnosis

You do not need a diagnosis to access most local support. The Scottish ADHD Coalition maintains a map of peer support groups across Glasgow and Clyde, and our support page links to national organisations that can point you to local groups.

Following an autism diagnosis, the Glasgow City HSCP coordinates adult social care, and the Autism Resource Centre offers support specifically for autistic adults in the city. Our after diagnosis page has more guidance.

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.