From assessment to shared care

1. Before an assessment

Choose a private or NHS route. Ask about the assessor’s qualifications, whether the service offers treatment as well as diagnosis, and whether an external diagnosis can be accepted. Questionnaires, developmental history, supporting information and identity checks may come first.

2. The assessment is a decision, not a guaranteed diagnosis

The clinician reviews your history and how difficulties affect your life. Further information or an additional appointment may be needed. Ask whether the report, feedback appointment and any extra assessment are included in the fee.

3. A treatment or prescribing appointment

If ADHD is diagnosed, discuss the appropriate options. Medication is not automatic or the only option. Some clinics discuss it in the assessment; others require a separate paid appointment. Before prescribing, the clinician needs relevant medical information and physical checks. Ask where monitoring or tests take place and who charges for them.

4. Titration and follow-ups

Titration is the period of reviewing the response to medication and adjusting treatment where clinically appropriate. Contact may be by video, phone, messages or monitoring forms. A 12-week package is not necessarily twelve appointments. Ask for the included contacts, extra-visit fee, extension fee and medication bill.

There is no universal number of follow-ups. CARE ADHD describes initiation and reviews typically at weeks 4 and 12; DoseDirect advertises three appointments in an up-to-12-week package; Happy Clinic publishes a per-review fee without a fixed count. These are different services, not interchangeable treatment schedules.

5. Shared care with your GP

Sometimes called “joint care”, shared care is an agreed division of responsibilities between the specialist and GP, often after treatment has stabilised. It does not happen automatically after a set number of appointments. The GP must agree, and local arrangements matter.

Ask your GP about its policy before paying privately. Check whether the clinic charges to prepare the request and whether that fee is payable if it is declined. Specialist reviews and monitoring can continue to cost money even when the GP prescribes.

If shared care is declined

Ask the specialist what private continuation costs, which alternatives can be discussed and how continuity would be managed. Do not assume a private diagnosis guarantees immediate NHS prescribing or a shorter NHS wait.

6. Continuing reviews

A stable prescription still needs review. Confirm the frequency, renewal or membership charge, prescription-writing fee and pharmacy cost. Ask what happens if you miss monitoring or take a break from the service.