Private ADHD Assessment & Treatment at Cardinal Clinic

If you have spent months or years wondering whether your difficulties with focus, organisation, restlessness or follow-through might be ADHD, you are not alone, and you are not imagining it. Many adults reach this point after a long wait for an NHS assessment, or after being told the local waiting list is effectively closed. A private ADHD assessment lets you get a clear, proper answer from a consultant psychiatrist without an open-ended wait, so you can understand what is going on and decide what to do next.

Cardinal Clinic is a private psychiatric hospital in Windsor, Berkshire. Our adult ADHD assessments are carried out by consultant psychiatrists, and this page explains what an assessment involves, how it compares with NHS routes, what happens after a diagnosis, and how to start.

Private ADHD assessment: the short answer

A private ADHD assessment at Cardinal Clinic is a structured diagnostic appointment with a consultant psychiatrist who reviews your symptoms, history and how ADHD-type difficulties affect your daily life. If a diagnosis is made, the psychiatrist will discuss a management plan with you. You do not need to be on an NHS list first, and you can refer yourself.

At a glance

• Who it is for: adults who think they may have ADHD, including people diagnosed with other conditions who suspect ADHD as well. This page describes our adult ADHD assessment, which is the focus of our service. If you are seeking an assessment for a child, please contact us first so we can advise on the right route.
• What is assessed: attention, concentration, organisation, impulsivity, restlessness and how these affect work, study, relationships and home life, alongside a check for other conditions that can look like, or occur with, ADHD.
• Who carries it out: a consultant psychiatrist. Cardinal Clinic is consultant psychiatrist-led, and ADHD diagnosis is a clinical decision made by a psychiatrist.
• Location and catchment: Windsor, Berkshire. This is convenient for Berkshire, Surrey and West London, and for people searching for a private ADHD assessment near them in this region. We are not able to provide local follow-up care outside our catchment.
• How to start: you can refer yourself or contact us to arrange an appointment.

What is a private ADHD assessment?

A private ADHD assessment is a clinical evaluation to establish whether your difficulties meet the recognised criteria for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. ADHD in adults typically involves a long-standing pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity that began in childhood and causes real difficulty in more than one area of life (NHS; NICE NG87).

Because several other things (anxiety, low mood, sleep problems, thyroid issues and the after-effects of stress or trauma) can produce similar symptoms, a proper assessment does not just confirm what you already suspect. It carefully weighs up the alternatives so that any diagnosis is sound and any treatment plan is built on it. At Cardinal Clinic this assessment is carried out by a consultant psychiatrist, who can both diagnose ADHD and, where appropriate, oversee treatment.

What happens during an adult ADHD assessment?

An adult ADHD assessment is a detailed conversation, structured around the areas a psychiatrist needs to understand. In practice it usually involves:

• A clinical interview about your current symptoms and how they affect work, study, relationships, finances and daily routines.
• A developmental and symptom history, including what you were like as a child at school and home, since ADHD is a condition that begins early in life (NICE NG87).
• Validated rating scales completed by you, and sometimes by someone who knows you well, to capture the pattern and severity of symptoms.
• A differential diagnosis step, where the psychiatrist considers anxiety, depression, sleep disorders and other explanations, and whether more than one thing is going on.
• An assessment of the functional impact: how much, and in which settings, these difficulties genuinely affect your life.

At the end, the psychiatrist discusses their findings with you. If ADHD is diagnosed, they will explain what that means and talk through options. If it is not, they will explain why and what might help instead.

How much does a private ADHD assessment cost?

Fees depend on the type and length of the assessment and any follow-up, so rather than quote a figure that may be out of date, we keep current pricing on one page. Please see our fees and finance information for up-to-date costs, or contact us and we will explain what is included before you book. We will always be clear about what an assessment covers and what any follow-up appointments involve.

Private vs NHS vs NHS Right to Choose

There is more than one way to be assessed for ADHD in England, and the right choice depends on how long you can wait and what matters most to you. NHS ADHD assessment waiting times for adults are often very long, and in some areas waiting lists have been paused (ADHD UK; NHS). The options below are set out in general terms. We have deliberately not invented specific waiting times or prices, because these vary by area and change over time.

NHS referral (via your GP)

• Typical wait: often long, and varies widely by area; some lists paused (ADHD UK).
• Cost: free.
• Who it suits: people who can wait and prefer to stay entirely within the NHS.

NHS Right to Choose

• Typical wait: can be shorter than your local NHS service, but varies by provider.
• Cost: free at the point of use (NHS-funded).
• Who it suits: people in England who want an NHS-funded assessment but a wider choice of provider (ADHD UK).

Private assessment (for example Cardinal Clinic)

• Typical wait: usually the shortest wait.
• Cost: paid privately (see our fees and finance information).
• Who it suits: people who want a prompt assessment with a consultant psychiatrist and can fund it privately.

If you would like to understand the NHS Right to Choose route, ADHD UK has clear, up-to-date guidance, and your GP can advise on what is available locally.

What a thorough ADHD assessment includes

Whichever route you choose, a good assessment should cover the same ground (NICE NG87):

• A structured clinical interview about current symptoms.
• A developmental and symptom history reaching back to childhood.
• Validated rating scales to measure symptoms.
• A differential diagnosis that rules out, or accounts for, other conditions.
• An assessment of the functional impact across different areas of life.

If an assessment skips these steps, it is worth asking why.

ADHD treatment after diagnosis

A diagnosis is the start of a plan, not the end of the process. NICE recommends that ADHD is managed with a combination of approaches, tailored to the person (NICE NG87). After a diagnosis at Cardinal Clinic, your consultant psychiatrist will discuss which of the following may help:

• Psychoeducation: understanding ADHD and practical strategies for work, study and home, which is recommended as a first step for everyone.
• Medication, where appropriate. Both stimulant and non-stimulant options exist. These are only ever started and adjusted by a psychiatrist, who titrates the dose carefully and monitors you (NICE NG87). We do not give dosing information online, because that is a clinical decision made with you.
• Psychological and behavioural support, which can help with organisation, emotional regulation and any co-occurring difficulties such as anxiety or low mood.

Where medication is part of the plan, ongoing prescribing is sometimes shared with your GP under a shared care arrangement. Shared care depends on your GP practice agreeing to take part, so it is worth discussing early; your psychiatrist can explain how this works and provide the information your GP will need.

ADHD and co-occurring mental health

ADHD often does not travel alone. Many adults with ADHD also experience anxiety, depression or low self-esteem, partly from years of unexplained struggle (Royal College of Psychiatrists). A good assessment looks for these too, because treating ADHD in isolation can miss something important, and treating low mood without recognising ADHD can leave the underlying difficulty in place.

If you are struggling with depression alongside possible ADHD, our depression treatment page explains how we can help.

If you are in crisis

If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, please get help now. Call 999 in an emergency, contact NHS 111 for urgent mental health support, or call the Samaritans free on 116 123, any time, day or night. An ADHD assessment is not an emergency service.

How to book a private ADHD assessment at Cardinal Clinic

Starting is straightforward. You can complete a self-referral, or contact us to talk it through first. We will check that an assessment in Windsor is the right fit for you, explain the fees, and arrange an appointment with a consultant psychiatrist. You can also read about our clinical team.

Sources: NICE NG87 (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: diagnosis and management); NHS (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder); Royal College of Psychiatrists (ADHD in adults); ADHD UK (assessment and Right to Choose). This page is for general information and is not a substitute for individual clinical advice. Author and clinical reviewer: Robin Lefever, Director & Therapist.