ADHD and autism assessment in Glasgow

October 2026 FOI figures show adult ADHD waits from 62 weeks in East Dunbartonshire to 152 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. In its reply to our latest Freedom of Information request (FOI 2602337, 19 October 2026, adult figures extracted 3 October 2026), the board reported 9,160 adults waiting for ADHD assessment, with a median wait of 120 weeks. Of those, 5,332 had waited more than two years.

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: 152 weeks (4,895 waiting)
  • Inverclyde: 95 weeks (305 waiting)
  • Renfrewshire: 94 weeks (2,378 waiting)
  • East Renfrewshire: 74 weeks (607 waiting)
  • West Dunbartonshire: 66 weeks (287 waiting)
  • East Dunbartonshire: 62 weeks (688 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.

How this compares with July 2026: our first request (FOI 2601315, figures extracted 5 July 2026) reported 8,886 adults waiting, with a median of 111 weeks. The area medians then were Glasgow City 139 weeks, Renfrewshire 88, Inverclyde 84, East Renfrewshire 67, West Dunbartonshire 58 and East Dunbartonshire 56, so every area's median was longer in October. You can read the July response too.

For children and young people, NHSGGC runs one combined neurodevelopmental pathway for school-age children that assesses ADHD, autism and other conditions together. At 2 September 2026, 2,498 children and young people were waiting with ADHD in their reason for referral, with a median wait of 124 weeks for those referred by a GP, and a further 3,057 were waiting for a combined ADHD-and-autism assessment. In July 2026 the figures were 2,563 waiting, a 120-week median for GP referrals, and 3,056 waiting for the combined 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. Preparation helps:

  • 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 can also ask to see another GP in the practice.

Private assessment in Glasgow

Our compare tool (checked 20 October 2026) lists 8 providers with an in-person clinic in Glasgow, and 19 providers that offer online assessment; check which conditions each one assesses. Adult ADHD assessment prices listed in our compare tool range from £650 to £2,050 (checked 20 October 2026); confirm the current price with the provider.

Key things to consider when choosing a private provider:

HIS registration: Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) is Scotland's regulator for private healthcare. Registration means the service is assessed against HIS standards, with ongoing oversight and periodic inspection; a recently registered service may not yet have a published inspection report. Not every provider has to register: HIS told us that a service which does not “employ, engage, or grant practising privileges to” one of the listed healthcare professionals (such as a doctor, nurse or pharmacist) “is not required to register with HIS”, and England-based providers offering online services to patients in Scotland and already regulated by the CQC do not need to register with HIS as well. Our regulation page explains what this means. You can filter by HIS status on our compare tool.

Assessment method: NAIT’s guidance on prescribing after a private diagnosis lists what a GP may look for in an assessment, including “collateral information from someone who knows the individual” and information on “historical childhood presentation”. Our compare tool shows which providers say they use validated tools and collateral information.

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 pay for private prescriptions at first. You can ask your NHS GP whether they will take over prescribing (NHS prescriptions in Scotland are free). There is no NHS Scotland policy on shared care: SPICe, the Scottish Parliament research service, says the decision “is at the clinical discretion of the GP”, and health boards’ guidance differs. See our shared care guide for the details and sources.

NHSGGC has published a policy on referring patients diagnosed with ADHD by private providers into its mental health services (“3AMHS 57”). Its link on the Right Decisions website was not working when we checked on 20 October 2026, so ask your GP for the current version. Whether your GP prescribes is still their decision. Our shared care guide explains the process and what to do if your GP refuses.

Support in Glasgow, before and after diagnosis

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.