The cost of a private adult ADHD assessment in the UK ranges from 275 GBP to 2,100 GBP — a 7.6-fold difference for the same NICE-guideline assessment — according to a study of 332 private clinics published by comparison directory ADHD Private.
The study, which read the published price of every clinic it could identify, found a median adult assessment price of 995 GBP across the 161 clinics that publish one.
Its central finding concerns geography. Region accounts for only about 9.1% of the variation in what clinics charge. The gap between the cheapest and dearest regional medians is 795 GBP, while inside a single region prices can differ by 1,705 GBP — more than double. London, contrary to expectation, has a median of 875 GBP, below the national figure. The lowest regional median is the North West at 700 GBP; the highest is the East Midlands at 1,495 GBP.
"The assumption everyone starts with is a postcode lottery, and that is not what the...