Private Assessments: from the perspective of an ADHD nurse in Scotland

Written by an ADHD nurse in Scotland delivering private assessments

By An ADHD nurse in Scotland · Reviewed by ADHD Scot,
This piece shares one practitioner's personal experience of working in private ADHD assessment. It reflects her own caseload and observations, not official NHS statistics. ADHD Scot does not endorse specific providers, and publishing a contributor's perspective is not a recommendation of any particular service.

Being an ADHD nurse delivering private assessments is an incredibly rewarding role. One of the most meaningful aspects of the job is seeing individuals leave their assessment feeling heard, understood, and validated. For many, it is the first time they truly understand themselves and why they have experienced certain challenges throughout their lives.

I have also witnessed the relief and hope that parents often feel following the outcome of an assessment. The assessment process encourages individuals to reflect on their childhood and explore symptoms that may have been overlooked or misunderstood for many years. Receiving a diagnosis can bring a great sense of clarity, with many people describing how different parts of their life finally begin to make sense.

Following a diagnosis, individuals can decide whether they wish to start treatment to help manage their ADHD symptoms. For some, medication can have a significant positive impact, improving their ability to manage everyday life, whether at school, work, or at home. Others feel that simply having a diagnosis and understanding their experiences is enough to help them develop strategies and move forward with greater confidence.

In recent years, I have noticed a significant increase in the number of people accessing private ADHD assessments. A major reason for this is the length of NHS waiting lists. Many of the individuals I assessed had been advised that their local NHS Health Board waiting time was five years or longer. Although private assessments can be expensive, many people feel the benefits of receiving answers and support much sooner outweigh the financial cost.

One challenge that frequently arises is access to shared care arrangements with GPs. From my experience, this varies considerably depending on the individual GP practice and its current policy. When shared care is accepted, the GP takes over prescribing ADHD medication, meaning patients no longer have to pay privately for their prescriptions. However, ongoing specialist advice, reviews, and support relating to the ADHD diagnosis and its management continue to be provided by the assessing service rather than the GP.

I am also looking forward to starting a new role with an organisation based in England that provides CAMHS ADHD assessments through the NHS Right to Choose pathway, which we do not have in Scotland. I am excited to learn more about how this service operates and hope that, in the future, maybe a similar model could be introduced in Scotland to help reduce waiting times and improve access to timely ADHD assessments.

What is shared care? Shared care is an arrangement where a GP takes over prescribing a medication that was originally initiated by a specialist service. For ADHD medication, this means the GP issues the prescription rather than the patient continuing to pay privately. Whether a GP practice accepts shared care for ADHD varies significantly, some practices have formal policies in place, others assess case by case, and some decline entirely.