ADHD and autism assessment pathway

Getting assessed as an adult

The adult ADHD and autism referral pathway in NHS Tayside for people aged 18 and over operates separately from CAMHS. Adults should still be able to access referrals through their GP, though waiting times are lengthy.

What NHS Tayside's own referral guidance says

NHS Tayside publishes clinician-facing referral guidance on the NHS Scotland Right Decisions Service. It is written for professionals, not patients, but it documents the criteria referrals are actually judged against. Key points from the Tayside Adult Autism Consultancy Team (TAACT) entry (undated at the time of our review, September 2026):

• You cannot self-refer. TAACT accepts referrals from NHS and social care practitioners in Tayside, for people aged 18+ (16+ if no longer at school) registered with a Tayside GP.
• Adult ADHD assessment is not TAACT's job. The guidance directs ADHD referrals to local community mental health teams instead — so if you are seeking an ADHD assessment, your GP's referral goes to adult mental health, not the autism team.
• Diagnostic referrals need evidence of childhood onset and significant functional impairment, and are not accepted for people who already hold an autism diagnosis.
• Stated exclusions include intellectual disability (the guidance uses an IQ threshold) and cases where the primary presentation is an eating disorder, personality disorder, psychosis or substance misuse.
• The guidance itself notes "a lengthy wait" for assessments, and that the team cannot manage mental health risk for people on its waiting list — ongoing care stays with the referrer.

This summarises clinician guidance which NHS Tayside may change at any time; always check the current version. Knowing these criteria before your GP appointment means a referral can be framed to address them directly.

Waiting times: what our FOI found

NHS Tayside responded to a Freedom of Information request from ADHD Scot on 10 August 2026 (ref IGTFOISA26481). The response was partial: it gave waiting-list headcounts for Dundee only, no median waiting times, and no CAMHS data.

Adults, Dundee HSCP

NHS Tayside could not give a median waiting time for either condition, so these are waiting-list headcounts only, not typical waits.

Children and young people (CAMHS)

Compare all boards' waiting times → · About our FOI project →

Children and young people (under 18)

In March 2025, NHS Tayside CAMHS stopped accepting new ADHD or autism referrals for children who do not also have a co-existing mental health condition. This means the NHS pathway is closed to many new children's assessments in Tayside. Families are strongly advised to confirm the current position with their GP.

What families can do now

• Ask your GP to confirm whether any referral route remains open, and ask to be notified immediately if the suspension is lifted.
• Ask about support without a diagnosis. Schools have a legal duty to support children with additional needs regardless of diagnosis under the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004.
• Contact your child's school to discuss additional support. Schools can request help from their local authority's learning support team without waiting for a diagnosis.
• Consider private assessment if waiting is not viable. See our compare tool for providers operating in and around Tayside and Dundee.
• Contact your MSP. Your MSP can raise the issue with NHS Tayside and the Scottish Government on your behalf. Use Find your MSP at parliament.scot.