Frequently Asked Questions

Our NHS Right to Choose autism service is available for children and young people from aged 8 to 17 years 9 months. 

Young people aged 17 years 9 months and over will be referred to our Adult Autism Service.

Find out about Right to Choose Adult Autism assessments

No. 

A GP must send the referral to Psychiatry UK for an NHS Right to Choose assessment. 

Yes. Psychiatry UK is a fully online service. 

Forms and questionnaires are completed online, and assessment appointments take place by secure video call. 

If you or your child have a disability, sensory need, learning need, communication need or anything else that may make taking part more difficult, please tell us. 

We can discuss reasonable adjustments or other support that may help. 

Find out more about accessible communications and assessment adjustments

Once the referral has been processed and accepted, we’ll contact you, or the adult supporting the young person where appropriate. 

We’ll explain what happens next and how to use the MedQare patient portal. 

We’ll also let you know about any forms or other information that need to be completed. 

You do not need to contact us to check the progress of an accepted referral. We’ll let you know when there is an update or something you need to do. 

There is currently no waiting list for our NHS Right to Choose autism assessment service for children and young people. 

Once the referral has been accepted, we’ll explain what information we need before the assessment can go ahead. 

Appointment availability can change, so we’ll give you the latest information as the referral progresses.  

We’ll guide you through the next steps. 

Please: 

• Check the patient portal from time to time. 
• Complete any forms or questionnaires as early as possible. 
• Keep the contact details in the portal up to date. 
• Look out for emails and text messages from Psychiatry UK. 

We need all the information required for the assessment before we can move to the next stage. Completing forms promptly helps prevent unnecessary delays.  

Please keep the details in the patient portal up to date and tell us about any important changes. 

To remain eligible for NHS Right to Choose, the child or young person must remain registered with a GP in England and live in England while receiving care through the service. 

NHS Right to Choose is available in England only. 

If the child or young person moves outside England while receiving care through this pathway, their assessment can no longer be funded through NHS Right to Choose. 

Please let us know if this happens so we can explain what it means and discuss the options available.  

This depends on the child’s or young person’s age and individual circumstances. 

For children aged 8–10, parents or guardians play an important part in the assessment. We’ll ask you for information about your child’s development, experiences and everyday life. 

For young people aged 11–17 years 9 months, the level of parent or guardian involvement may vary. We’ll consider the young person’s age, understanding and individual circumstances and explain who needs to be involved. 

Whatever their age, the child or young person’s views are important. We’ll listen to them, explain what is happening and give them opportunities to ask questions.  

Consent means agreeing to the assessment or to a particular part of the child or young person’s care. 

Who can give consent will depend on the individual child or young person and the decision being made. 

We’ll confirm who has parental responsibility and consider whether the child or young person can make particular decisions about their own care. 

We’ll explain what consent is needed before the assessment goes ahead or before information is shared.  

We’ll ask about parental responsibility and any legal, care or family arrangements that may affect decisions about the child’s care. 

Where more than one person has parental responsibility, we’ll make sure the consent and communication arrangements are appropriate. 

If there is uncertainty or disagreement that affects whether the assessment can go ahead, our clinical team may need to look at the situation first. We’ll explain what happens next.  

Yes. 

Children and young people should be involved in decisions about their care in a way they can understand. 

Even where a parent or guardian needs to give formal consent, we’ll listen to the child’s views, explain what is happening and give them opportunities to ask questions. 

You may be able to make some decisions about your assessment yourself. 

This will depend on your age, what you understand about the decision and your individual situation. 

We’ll talk this through with you and explain which decisions you can make yourself and when a parent or guardian may need to be involved. 

Your views and choices are important throughout your assessment. 

Where it’s appropriate and safe, you may be offered some time to speak to your clinician privately. 

You can also tell us if there’s something you’d prefer to talk about without somebody else in the room. 

Most of what you tell us is private. 

We’ll explain what information may need to be shared, who it may be shared with and why. 

Sometimes we may need to share information without your permission. This could happen if we’re worried that you or somebody else could be at risk of serious harm, or because we have a legal duty to share it. 

Your clinician will explain this to you as clearly as they can.  

Not always. 

It will depend on your age, your individual situation and which part of the assessment is taking place. 

We’ll explain who needs to be involved. Where it’s appropriate and safe, you may also have some time to speak to your clinician privately.

Depending on your circumstances, you may be able to have a parent, guardian or another trusted adult with you. 

Please tell us if there’s something that would help you feel more comfortable and able to take part. 

Children and young people can have different experiences in different places. 

Information from school or another education setting can help us understand more about: 

• Learning and everyday experiences. 
• Communication. 
• Friendships and social situations. 
• Strengths and needs. 
• Experiences outside the home. 

School information is only one part of the assessment. It does not decide the outcome on its own. 

We’ll explain what information we need and ask for the appropriate consent before contacting a school or another professional. 

We’ll also explain what information may be shared and why. 

Please let us know. 

If there is no teacher who can provide information, we can discuss whether somebody else who knows the child or young person well in a learning or structured activity setting may be able to help.  

The same set of pre-assessment forms is used for both age groups: 

• Parental Responsibility Form. 
• Developmental History Form. 
• Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (Self 11-17). 
• Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (Parent or Guardian). 
• Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (Teacher). 
• School Information Form – Autism. 
• RCADS Child Questionnaire 
• RCADS Parent Questionnaire 

Different people complete different forms. This may include a parent or guardian, the child or young person, and someone from their school or education setting. 

The forms will be available in the patient portal. Please complete them as fully as you can. 

What happens during an autism assessment? 

The assessment brings together different types of information about the child or young person. 

This includes: 

• Information collected before the appointments. 
• Conversations with clinicians. 
• Information from the child or young person and their parent or guardian. 
• Information from school or other professionals, where available. 
• A Structured Observation appointment. 

The clinical team looks at all of this information together before reaching an assessment outcome. 

There’s no single test, questionnaire or observation that decides whether somebody is autistic.  

For a full step-by-step explanation, see: 

What to Expect from Your Child’s Autism Assessment – Ages 8–10

What to Expect from Your Autism Assessment – Ages 11–17

The Structured Observation appointment gives the assessor a chance to spend some time interacting with and observing the child or young person through a series of structured activities. 

This helps the assessment team understand more about areas such as communication and interaction. 

The Structured Observation appointment is only one part of the assessment. It’s considered alongside all the other information gathered. 

MDT stands for multidisciplinary team. 

After the initial assessment and Structured Observation appointment, the clinicians involved review the information together. 

Looking at the different parts of the assessment together helps the team reach a careful and informed outcome. 

Yes. 

The autism assessment involves three appointments: 

1. An Initial assessment. 

1. A Structured Observation appointment. 

1. An Outcome appointment. 

These take place on the same day. 

The Initial assessment and Structured Observation appointment may happen in either order. We’ll explain the plan when the appointments are booked. 

They don’t need to study, practise answers or behave in a particular way. 

It may help them to know that: 

• There are no right or wrong answers. 
• They can say if they do not understand something. 
• They can ask for a question to be explained differently. 
• They can take time to think before answering. 
• They can tell the clinician if something feels difficult. 
• They can ask for a break if they need one. 

There’s no special way they need to act or answer. We want to understand them as they are.  

Please tell the clinician. 

Online appointments, meeting unfamiliar people, answering questions or changes to routine can sometimes feel difficult. 

The clinician can talk with you and the child or young person about what may help. Where possible, they can make adjustments, offer breaks or give more time to understand and process what is happening.  

Yes. 

If you or your child have a disability, sensory need, learning need, communication need or anything else that may affect the assessment, please tell us as early as you can. 

We can talk with you about what may help. 

Adjustments might include: 

• More time to understand or answer questions. 
• Questions being explained in a different way. 
• Written prompts. 
• Breaks during the appointment. 
• Communication support. 
• Changes to support sensory needs. 
• Other practical changes based on individual needs. 

Find out more about accessible communications and assessment adjustments  

Please tell us before the assessment. 

We can talk about what’s difficult and whether reasonable adjustments or other support could help. 

Because Psychiatry UK is an online service, we also need to make sure that an online assessment is safe and suitable for the child or young person’s individual needs.  

The Outcome appointment takes place later on the same day, after the Initial assessment, Structured Observation appointment and clinical team discussion. 

The clinician will explain the assessment outcome, what it means and any recommended next steps. 

There are three possible outcomes: 

• Autism diagnosed. 
• Autism not diagnosed. 
• Inconclusive outcome. 

Sometimes the team may not have enough information to reach a clear conclusion. If this happens, the clinician will explain why and talk through what happens next.  

Yes. 

After the assessment, you’ll receive a written report explaining: 

• The information considered. 
• The assessment findings. 
• The outcome. 
• Any recommended next steps. 

You’ll also receive information and resources that may be helpful after the assessment. 

The clinician will explain what the diagnosis means for the individual child or young person and discuss any recommendations. 

You’ll receive information and resources to help you think about support that may be useful at home, in education and in everyday life. 

If autism is diagnosed, a Post-Diagnosis Review with the CYP Autism Assessment Practitioner will also be offered around six weeks after the assessment. 

Not receiving an autism diagnosis does not mean that the child or young person’s experiences or needs are not important. 

The clinician will explain the assessment findings and discuss any recommendations or next steps that may still be helpful. 

A Post-Diagnosis Review is not offered where autism is not diagnosed.  

Sometimes there’s not enough information for the clinical team to reach a clear conclusion. 

If this happens, the clinician will explain why the outcome is inconclusive and discuss any recommended next steps. 

You’ll have an opportunity to ask questions about what this means. 

A Post-Diagnosis Review is not offered following an inconclusive outcome. 

If the child or young person is diagnosed as autistic, we will offer a Post-Diagnosis Review with the CYP Autism Assessment Practitioner around six weeks after the assessment. 

This gives you time to read the assessment report, think about the diagnosis and note down any questions. 

The appointment can be used to talk about: 

• Anything in the report you would like explained. 
• The diagnosis. 
• Recommended next steps. 
• Support that may be helpful. 
• Questions that have come up since the assessment. 

The Post-Diagnosis Review is only offered where autism has been diagnosed. 

We’ll provide information and resources based on the child or young person’s assessment outcome and individual needs. 

This may include information to help with support at home, in education and in everyday life. 

You can also find practical guidance and further resources in our Information Hub. 

Psychiatry literally means the ‘medical treatment of the mind’, so it is the medical speciality devoted to the treatment of disorders of the mind. Psychiatrists are therefore doctors who specialise in the medical treatment of such conditions.

The stages that we follow for online consultations are very similar to the process you would follow if you were referred by your GP or decided to pay for private psychiatric treatment through a clinic.

To read the stages we follow in more detail please visit our ‘How it Works‘ page

Psychiatry UK works with over 300 specialist consultant psychiatrists, as well as specialist doctors and GPs, all experts in their fields and with their own areas of special interest. Unlike many other areas of medicine, psychiatrists do not need to physically examine a patient as talking, listening and vision, rather than touch, are required.

As a result, being able to speak to a psychiatrist through video conferencing is ideal – you not only get to see a psychiatrist faster, but you also get to see the most appropriate specialist for you, although they may be many hundreds of miles away.

At Psychiatry UK we believe that patients should see the doctor first and have the most effective treatment prescribed from the beginning. Psychiatrists are medically trained and can therefore prescribe medication, so we can also provide an online prescription service through the same secure online portal. This cuts down on time wasted whilst patients needlessly suffer through not having rapid access to the most appropriate treatment.

As doctors, they all take their responsibilities with regard to confidentiality particularly seriously. You can talk to your psychiatrist about anything and remain absolutely secure in the knowledge that, as long as you’re not intending to harm yourself or others it will remain confidential.

No. Providing you have access to the internet, and a computer or tablet with a webcam (either internal or external) and a microphone, you will be able to attend a consultation.

Most up-to-date computers and laptops will already have a camera and microphone installed. The only other special instruction will be for you to test these to make sure they are working.

How can I make sure my device is ready for my appointment?

Click on the ‘Test Your Device’ tab in the dark blue band at the top of the Psychiatry UK website. You may be prompted to click ‘allow’ to grant permission to access the camera and microphone. This is required for your meeting to go ahead.

We do advise that you install the Microsoft Teams app to ensure the best experience in joining and attending your meeting. You do not need to create a Microsoft account.

If you do not wish to install the Teams app, please use the most recent version of the Microsoft Edge browser, then click on your appointment link.

We supply medical diagnoses and treatment recommendations for a wide range of mental health issues, including ADHD and ASD in adults and children, addictions, anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, memory loss, OCD, issues related to old age, perinatal mental health problems, personality disorders, phobias, PTSD, sleep disorders and stress.

We offer a specialist diagnostic ADHD service for children and young people between the ages of 7-18, which fully complies with NICE guidance for the assessment and treatment of ADHD. Although ADHD symptoms may be noticed by parents while the child is still pre-school, most paediatricians and child psychiatrists are reluctant to diagnose this early, and medication is not recommended before the age of six years. Please note that the terms of our contracts do not allow us to see young people under the age of 18 under NHS Right to Choose at present.

We also have psychiatrists who specialise in working with patients who have mental health issues that are associated with having a learning disability.

Unless you are seeking a diagnosis of ADHD for your child, we can only take on full referrals from parents or guardians with the consent and support of a GP, although young people of 16 or 17 can in principle refer themselves – providing someone else agrees to pay.

If we are unable to see your child, you will be provided with a reason why and signposted to a suitable alternative service.

• To book a child ADHD assessment, select ‘Child ADHD/ADD’ on the booking form.
• To book a generic child assessment select ‘Children and Adolescents’ on the booking form.

For more information, please see our Treating Children section.

We sincerely hope that you never have cause to make a complaint about our service. However, if you do, please tell us about any complaint you might have as soon as possible, so that we are able to resolve it quickly.

Please give us a chance to resolve any issues you may have before posting your comments on Social Media or Google. 

Our complaints and disputes policy can be found here

If you would like to leave an external review you can submit this via an independent website such as I Want Great Care or Trustpilot.

If you live in England, and your GP refers you for a physical or mental health condition, in most cases you have the legal right to choose the organisation (qualified provider) you would like to go to, giving you greater control over your care. Please note that RTC does not cover Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

Psychiatry UK has NHS contracts to provide adult ADHD and Autism diagnosis and treatment services with a number of Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) in England and therefore fulfils the criteria to be a qualified provider under NHS Right to Choose. As long as your GP will make a referral to us, we will be able to get your assessment and treatment (if appropriate) paid for by the NHS.

For ADHD Right to Choose please see info on this page

For ASD Right to Choose please see info on this page

It may be helpful to share our referral guidance with your GP.

Your GP should send the referral by email to: RTC-Referrals@psychiatry-uk.com.

Please note that this mailbox is solely for clinical use. We regret that we cannot respond to patient queries via this mailbox.

If you are an existing patient, please reach out via your MedQare portal account. If you need any further assistance, please contact our support team through our live web chat.

Your GP does not need to get prior approval for your referral from the local Integrated Care Board (ICB) and we do not need to seek their approval before starting your treatment.

Once we receive the referral from your GP, we will contact you and ask you to complete some further questionnaires. We will then arrange an appointment for you to be assessed by one of our specialist ADHD or ASD doctors and commence treatment if indicated.

At present we can only see adults under Right to Choose according to the terms of our contracts. We do, of course, have child and adolescent specialists available on a private basis.

Children can very often be diagnosed through the Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) via school referral.

Yes, it is possible. Once your clinician is satisfied that the medication they have prescribed is working, we ask your GP to enter into something called a shared care agreement. This would then allow you to get medication through the NHS and still have private care.

The other option is to continue with private treatment while your GP refers you to the NHS, so that you will still be receiving ongoing medication in the meantime, albeit at a higher price.

If you’re currently registered with us under NHS Right to Choose and would like to transfer to our private ADHD or autism services, here’s what you need to do: 

Learn More: Before making your decision, we recommend reading our guidance (see below) on the way our private (self-pay) services work.

What to expect from a private ADHD assessment.

What to expect from a private autism assessment.

You can also find answers to common questions in our FAQ sections:

• FAQs: Private Adult ADHD Service.
• FAQs: Private Adult Autism Service.

Steps to Transfer: 

If, after reading our guidance, you would like to proceed, please follow the steps below:

• Contact our customer support team to let them know you want to switch from the NHS Right to Choose service to our private service. You can do this through our Live Chat or by calling our telephone support line at 0330 124 1980 (Monday to Friday, 8am-6pm). 
• Let them know you wish to be discharged from the Right to Choose service and move to the private pathway. 

Next Steps: 

• A member of our Private Adult Services team will reach out within 2 working days to confirm that you understand the self-pay process and agree to our conditions of service. 
• If you are wishing to transfer to our private ADHD service, we will contact your GP to let them know that you’re receiving care through our service. This is so that if you decide you would like to try medication treatment for your ADHD, we can share information about any medications you are taking to ensure safe care and continuity of treatment. 

At present it isn’t possible to move directly from our NHS-funded treatment waiting list to expedited treatment through our Private Adult ADHD service. 

We know this may be disappointing, but we’re working hard to make this option available soon. Our priority is to ensure that any service we provide meets our patients’ expectations and that anyone considering a transfer to our private pathway has a clear understanding of what this may involve. 

Any updates will be shared on our website, so please keep checking this page for any changes. 

If you have recently turned 18 and are currently receiving private care with Psychiatry UK, you may be able to switch to NHS-funded care through the Right to Choose scheme. Here’s what you need to do: 

Eligibility: You can switch to NHS-funded care if you meet the Right to Choose eligibility criteria (please refer to our Right to Choose page for guidance). You do not need to restart your treatment; your care will continue from where you left off in our patient pathway. 

Steps to Take: 

• Let your GP know that you’ve been receiving care privately through Psychiatry UK’s Child & Adolescent service and that you’d like to switch to NHS-funded care for adults. 
• Ask your GP to refer you to Psychiatry UK through the Right to Choose scheme. 
• You can share our referral guidance with your GP to help with this. 

Next Steps: 

• Once we receive your referral, we will contact you to confirm that it’s been accepted and explain what to do next. Please be aware this may take up to 8 weeks from when the referral is sent. 

You can apply for NHS treatment with Psychiatry UK through Right to Choose after receiving a diagnosis from another private provider, as long as: 

• You are no longer under the care of another provider 
• You meet the NHS Right to Choose eligibility criteria. Please see the guidance on our Right to Choose page. 

Here’s what the process looks like: 

Referral from your GP

• Book an appointment with your GP and ask them to make a referral to Psychiatry UK for ADHD treatment under Right to Choose. 
• You can share our referral guidance with your GP to help with this. 

Referral acceptance

• When your referral has been processed and accepted (this can take up to 8 weeks), we’ll add you to our waiting list for an initial appointment. 
• Waiting times are published on our website, so you can check the latest estimates there. 

Before your appointment

• While you wait, we’ll ask you to complete a pre-assessment checklist, which includes some pre-assessment forms and an ID check. 

Initial appointment with one of our doctors

• Even though you already have an ADHD diagnosis, you’ll need to attend an initial appointment so our doctor can review your existing diagnosis/ assessment report, and discuss your physical and mental medical history, current symptoms and challenges.  
• If the doctor feels more information is needed, you may be asked to attend a further appointment. 

Next steps

• After your appointment, we’ll send a copy of your report to you via your patient portal within 10 working days. We’ll also send a copy to your GP. 
• If you and your doctor agree that medication is the right option, you’ll be referred to our titration service for treatment.  
• Please note that we currently operate a waiting list for titration. You can check our current estimated waiting times here.  

You can transfer your care to Psychiatry UK under the Right to Choose scheme after receiving a diagnosis from another NHS provider, as long as: 

• You are no longer under the care of another provider 
• You still meet the NHS Right to Choose eligibility criteria. Please visit our Right to Choose page for guidance. 

 Here’s how the process works: 

Ask your GP for a referral

• Book an appointment with your GP and request a referral to Psychiatry UK for ADHD treatment through Right to Choose. 
• You can share our referral guidance with your GP to help with this. 

Referral acceptance

• When your referral has been processed and accepted (this can take up to 8 weeks), we’ll add you to our waiting list for an initial appointment. 
• Current waiting times for appointments are published on our website. 

Before your appointment

• While waiting, you’ll need to complete a pre-assessment checklist. This includes completing some pre-assessment forms and an ID check. 

Initial appointment with one of our doctors

• Even though you already have an ADHD diagnosis, you’ll need to attend an initial appointment so our doctor can review your existing diagnosis/assessment report, and discuss your physical and mental medical history, current symptoms and challenges. 

• If the doctor feels more information is needed, you may be asked to attend a further appointment. 

Next steps

• After your appointment, we’ll send a copy of your report to you via your patient portal within 10 working days. We’ll also send a copy to your GP. 
• If you and your doctor agree that medication is the right option, you’ll then be referred to our titration service to begin treatment.  
• Please note that we currently operate a waiting list for titration. You can check our current estimated waiting times here. 

Private (self-pay) Adult Autism Assessment: We aim to provide appointments within 2 weeks of completing pre-assessment forms.

Autism Assessment under Right to Choose: Our waiting time for adult autism assessments under Right to Choose has reduced to under 3 months.

Private (self-pay) Adult ADHD Assessment: We aim to provide appointments within 2 weeks of completing pre-assessment forms.

ADHD assessment under Right to Choose: Our waiting time for adult ADHD assessment is now under 12 months.

• Please click here for our current waiting time information
• If you are a Kent and Medway Adult Autism and ADHD Service patient – please read this statement

If you are an adult and think you have ADHD or ASD and have been referred by your GP under the Right To Choose scheme or live in an area covered by one of our NHS contracts then you will receive a booking link once you reach the top of our waiting list.

For Private Adult ADHD, Autism and other General Mental Health Support:

• Book online if you know what you want to discuss and which psychiatrist you would like to book an appointment with.
• Contact our customer support team via our Live Chat service or call 0330 124 1980 to arrange an appointment. Please visit our Contact Us page to check our opening times.

As a general rule, you will be required to undertake a full initial one-hour consultation. Payment in full is required at the time of booking, so please have your card ready when you book online or call.

Statutory 14-day ‘Cooling Off Period’

You are automatically entitled to a 14-day ‘cooling off period’ when you buy goods or services online. This means that you have a statutory right to cancel your appointment within 14 days from the day on which you entered the contract, without giving any reason.

If you wish to book an appointment that is less than 14 days from the date of booking, you do have the choice to waive these rights. By booking the appointment, you acknowledge that you have waived your statutory right to cancel during the cooling off period. 

Don’t worry – you also have a legal right to cancel a booking that you have made with us within 7 working days of the date the booking was made. However, if your use of the service commences within that 7-day period your right to cancellation is lost.

If you wish to cancel a booking within this period, you must contact us via our Live Chat or support telephone line: 0330 124 1980. Please visit our Contact Us page for our opening hours.

In the event of such a cancellation, you will receive a full refund for the cost of the services. We will process the refund as soon as possible and, at the latest, within 30 calendar days of the day on which you gave us notice of cancellation.

However, if you fail to attend a booked consultation without giving us notice of cancellation of the booking, we are within our rights to charge you the full cost of the consultation. Any decision to vary this, to take account of particular circumstances beyond your control, is at the discretion of Psychiatry UK.

Please see our Booking, Cancellations and Non-Attendance Policy for further information.

It can take up to 8 weeks for us to receive and process your GP referral. So, we kindly ask you not to call us during this time.

If you haven’t heard from us after 8 weeks, please reach out to your GP surgery to check the date your referral was sent.

If you wish to change the date of your appointment, please let us know as early as possible using our Live Chat service, available on our website or your patient portal. Please note that your new appointment may be much later than the original booking as we will need to move you to the end of our waiting list.

If you fail to attend a booked appointment without giving us notice of cancellation of the booking, we are within our rights to charge you the full cost of the consultation. Any decision to vary this, to take account of particular circumstances beyond your control, is at the discretion of Psychiatry UK. Please read our Bookings, Cancellation and Non-Attendance (DNA) Policy for more information.

In the case of child referrals, a parent or guardian is required to make an appointment on their child’s behalf (under 18), although young people of 16 or 17 can in principle refer themselves – providing they are able to pay at the time of booking the appointment.

 If an adult wishes to make an appointment on behalf of another adult, we would need to ensure that the patient is aware that the appointment is being made. The email address used to create the patient’s record will receive the notifications we send during the patient journey and will give access to confidential information. We would therefore need to have the patient’s authorisation for this to go ahead. In this type of case, please make your booking by phone (call our support team on: 0330 124 1980) so that we can discuss the case and check the patient’s consent.

If you wish to pay for the treatment on a patient’s behalf, we can arrange for invoices to be sent directly to you. In these cases, the patient’s information is not available to the payer.

Although some of our doctors may not be physically located in the UK, our service is UK-based. We don’t have the jurisdiction to provide medical treatment to patients in other countries. 

We regret that we are unable to provide assessment or treatment for patients who are outside the UK.

Read our full schedule of fees here.

For most of our services, you will need up to a one-hour assessment. The amount is payable at the time of booking. The cost will include a written opinion or assessment letter, a suggested treatment plan and a formal diagnosis where indicated.

There may be additional fees payable after the assessment, for which you will receive an invoice: for example, the costs for prescribing and titrating medication. This will be agreed between you and the psychiatrist during your assessment.

You could also be charged, by the minute, for any extra time spent in the consultation if the meeting runs over one hour, or for additional time spent communicating with you/reviewing notes etc. but this is at the discretion of the doctor.

In the majority of cases, adult clients will need up to a one-hour assessment. This will include a formal diagnosis from your psychiatrist, where indicated, with a written opinion or assessment letter and suggested treatment plan. You will receive an electronic copy of your assessment letter via the patient portal, which you will be able to download. A postal copy is available on request. A copy of the letter will also be sent to your GP via NHS email or post, if needed.

Please see our schedule of fees for more information, or call us on 0330 124 1980 to discuss.

If you are being assessed for Adult ADHD or ASD, are registered with a GP surgery in England, and you are referred by a GP to a consultant or specialist in mental health, you have the legal right to choose the organisation (qualified provider) to whom you are referred, as long as that organisation is providing that service in another part of England.

As we have NHS contracts to provide adult ADHD and ASD diagnosis and treatment services with a number of Clinical Commissioning Groups in England, we fulfil the criteria to be a qualified provider under NHS Right to Choose. So, as long as your GP will make a referral to us, we will be able to get your assessment and medical treatment (if appropriate) paid for by the NHS.

If you are a private patient and you have private medical insurance, your policy may cover you for an assessment and/or treatment. Not all insurance policies will be eligible, so please contact your insurer in the first instance to clarify if you are eligible to access an assessment and/or treatment via your private medical insurance.

For other mental health issues, you may be able to approach your GP and request that they apply for an Individual Funding Request (IFR), but this is not guaranteed. There may be other options available to you through your local area authority.

Initial assessments require payment at the time of booking, so we currently do not offer any type of payment plan.

Titration is the process that introduces your body to medication safely and works out the most suitable medication and dose for you. 

Safe clinical practice involves careful prescriber monitoring and supervision until you have reached a stable or ‘optimised’ dose to help you achieve the maximum benefit with minimum side effects. Your prescriber will ask you for regular feedback (including the reporting of any side effects).

During your assessment, you may discuss with your doctor whether medication would be appropriate to help you manage your ADHD symptoms. If you decide that you might find this beneficial, you will be referred to our titration team.

Please refer to the Waiting List Updates page here

Every journey is different, but titration usually takes around 14 weeks.

For the majority of patients the titration process takes between 12 and 16 weeks, but for some individuals, this may take longer and can be discussed with your clinician.

This will allow your body to adjust to the new medication and find your optimal dose. This means that you will feel maximum treatment effects from your medication with minimum side effects. 

At this stage, you will be invited to attend an ‘end of titration review’.

If your clinician is happy that your treatment is now stabilised, they will write to your GP to recommend that your prescription be continued under a Shared Care Agreement. This means that ongoing prescriptions will be issued by your GP surgery, and there will be an expectation that your medication will be reviewed on a six-monthly basis by your GP. You will also be offered an annual review by Psychiatry UK – or perhaps by another service, such as your local NHS team.

The medications used to treat and manage the symptoms of ADHD are known as controlled drugs and initially need to be prescribed through a specialist ADHD clinician. The medication needs to be titrated with careful monitoring, and not all GPs are happy to carry out this process.

The titration service does not work within an appointment booking format. When you are picked up from the waiting list you will be contacted via the portal by a titrating prescriber. This is an effective and efficient system because it allows you and the prescriber involved in your care to be flexible in terms of exchanging information through the course of your treatment. It does not require you to take time away from your working day or usual routines at home or elsewhere to be in regular, direct contact with your prescriber. You will communicate with them through your portal notes.

When your treatment begins, the required time will not be dictated or restricted in any way. You will just be asked to complete a regular feedback form to update your prescriber about how your treatment is progressing and iron out any problems along the way. We have found this to be an efficient and responsive approach to your treatment, compared to a traditional model based on follow-up appointments.

Before starting your medication, we will ask you to send in some baseline observations including your blood pressure, pulse and weight. You may also be asked to send in the results of an ECG and/or blood tests if these have been advised by your assessing consultant. 

During the titration process, you will be asked to monitor and record your blood pressure, pulse and weight at regular intervals, reporting back to your prescriber towards the end of each four-week prescription period, so you may find it helpful to purchase a blood pressure monitor to keep at home.

Please check our guide for information about choosing/purchasing a blood pressure monitor (or advice on where you can get your blood pressure checked) and how to take accurate blood pressure readings.

Whether you need to pay for your prescription depends on how it is dispensed.

If your prescription is dispensed through a community pharmacy in England, the standard NHS prescription charge will usually apply, unless you are eligible for free prescriptions.

Whether a charge applies can depend on how electronic prescribing is set up in your local area (ICB).

For more information on eligibility for free prescriptions, please refer to our [website guide].

If you wish to pay privately for your titration, please visit: ADHD Medication Treatment: What to Expect | Psych-UK Limited

When you start the titration process, we will ask you to send in some baseline observations, including your blood pressure, pulse and weight. You may also be asked to send in the results of an ECG and/or blood tests if these have been advised by your assessing consultant. This information will be reviewed by your titration prescriber and, if your observations are within a normal range, we will send out your first prescription together with a treatment plan, which will give guidance on how and when to take the medication.

Please note that since becoming a Right to Choose provider, we have seen a sharp rise in the number of referrals received. Unfortunately, this has led to the development of delays for patients waiting for titration. We are investing heavily and ask you to please bear with us while we onboard new staff as quickly as possible to minimise these delays.

You can keep up to date with our current estimated waiting times here.