ADHD Assessment FAQ

Dr Abigail — Wed, 01 Feb 2023 13:48:01 +0000

Our ADHD assessment & fees

Our gold standard ADHD assessment closely follows the UK recommended NICE guidelines. Our assessments are completed by a Psychologist with specialist ADHD training. They are comprehensive and incorporate multiple clinical interviews with multi-observer perspectives on childhood and present symptoms. This includes:

– Full mental health assessment
– 8 Psychometric tools/ questionnaires
– Developmental history
– Psychiatric history
– Exploring differential & comorbid diagnoses
– Formal ADHD interview tools
– 2 – 2.5 hours of direct clinical interviews with a Senior Psychologist
– QB check of real time struggles in attention, disinhibition and hyperactivity (optional)

Our ADHD Assessments have three distinct stages:

Stage 1. Pre-Assessment Admin. This includes a screen to check if an assessment is warranted. The fee is charged at the end of Stage 1 should the screen show evidence to continue to the full assessment.

Stage 2. Eight formal assessment tools/ questionnaires. Six are self report and two are for observers: someone who currently knows you well, and someone who knew you in childhood.

Stage 3. 2.5 hours of clinical interviews with a qualified and experienced Psychologist.

Optional Extra: Real time test of attention/ inhibition/ hyperactivity using specialised QB check software (Additional £195)

A detailed Clinical Report will be provided (around 15 pages) plus letters for reasonable adjustments for study and work.

The fee for our three stage adult ADHD assessment is £850. We also accept payment through Bupa Health Insurance.

Should you elect to have, or be advised to have the additional QB check appointment (as an objective measure), this is an additional £145.

We only presently offer ADHD Assessments for adults. We have Medication Prescribers who offer ADHD medication to ages 11 years and above.

What is a QB Check Appointment

Using the specialised ADHD Assessment QB Check Software provides additional evidence, in real time, of executive function struggles compared to someone matched to similar age and gender.

A visual ‘real time’ map of abilities in attention, inhibition and hyperactivity are shown graphically.

Many clients find this visual, objective measure of executive functioning extremely validating of their difficulties; as it shows their abilities compared to age matched peers.

This tool also allows us to gather further information, if the main assessment is inconclusive due to a lack of childhood evidence or significant differential diagnoses.

It is undertaken in a separate remote appointment, lasting up to 40 minutes. A practitioner will be present on the phone/ video call during the whole QB check appointment to support you in the process.

What are the benefits of having an ADHD assessment?

For many clients, a comprehensive ADHD assessment provides clarity on difficulties and struggles experienced for many years.

On many occasions, long standing struggles can be seen in a different light. A thorough assessment can dispel negative labels of ‘laziness’ or ‘inadequacy’ (that have sadly been used), removing these punitive blaming stores with a more positive and constructive reality; that the ADHD brain is wired slightly differently and needs to be understood in this way.

An assessment may also reveal difficulties that are not due directly to ADHD such as depression, communication struggles, autistic traits, trauma, or anxiety. Enabling a clear focus on areas of impairment, possible further assessment and strategies for positive change.

Our assessments particuarly focuses on how things can be improved. In our report we make recommendations on areas in which therapy could be helpful, and the type of therapy most likely to create improvement in your mental health and day to day functioning.

How long does the assessment take?

Once an enquiry is made, we aim to send out Stage 1 information within 3 working days.

Stage 1 and Stage 2 can be completed at your own pace. This is often around 1 week, as some of the questionnaires are for family to complete.

Stage 3 can begin once all the psychometrics and questionnaires are complete. This includes a clinical interview lasting 2.5 hours. The outcome will be provided at the end.

Why do we require information from other people?

NICE guidelines stipulate that a comprehensive ADHD assessment needs to have both current and historical information from the client and also from an observer (or more than one observer). Multiple perspectives make the ADHD assessment more robust and thus more accurate.

When will I know the outcome?

The outcome of the assessment will be discussed during the end of your second clinical interview.

A positive diagnosis of ADHD is only given if information presented during the assessment meets criteria according to the DSM-5 on what constitutes ADHD. Please note, we are unable to offer a refund should the outcome of the assessment be different to what was expected.

On rare occasions there may not be enough evidence to offer a definitive diagnosis e.g. if some of the historical information is unavailable. If this is the case, we will discuss this outcome in the report.

Further appointments following the assessment will be charged at the Clinician’s usual hourly fee.

What if the outcome is unclear?

An ADHD assessment is an exploration of symptoms/ behaviours and their impairment, across the lifespan, compared to a set ADHD diagnosis criteria.

Sometimes other conditions can mask or mimic these symptoms. As trained Clinicians, we try our best to explore all differential diagnoses that could account for your symptoms. However sometimes the assessment outcome may still remain unclear.

If the outcome is inconclusive we will recommend a QB check using real time software to assessment inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. This is an additional £145.

If the results are still inconclusive we will provide details on what other factors could be creating your symptoms, and include in the report a plan for treatment and further support.

What happens after the assessment?

Once the assessment has taken place, you will be provided with:

1. A Full Clinical Report, then if a positive ADHD diagnosis is made:

2. A reasonable adjustments letter for work

3. A reasonable adjustments letter for study

You are welcome to consider medication and/ or psychological therapy with an Associate within our team, or you are welcome to take our reports to another service.

Will my NHS GP accept the report?

NHS GPs are under guidance to accept only reports and assessments they believe are accurate and valid, and follow all guidelines.

We believe our assessment and report will be accepted as valid by your GP as we meet criteria set out in the Hereford and Worcestershire Integrated Care Board (who provide guidance to GP practices).

We recommend speaking with your GP prior to your assessment should you have any concerns. We are happy to have direct contact with GPs to confirm how we meet all appropriate criteria.

How do I receive medication for ADHD?

We have a Prescribing Pharmacist, ADHD specialist who can initiate, review and manage dose titration, for clients where medication is deemed suitable.

The ADHD diagnosis must have been made by a Psychologist within Malvern Hills Private Practice (MHPP) or by a Psychologist registered to our Partnership Program.

Please contact us on contact@malvernhillsprivatepractice.co.uk if you are unsure whether your Psychologist is registered with our Partnership Program.

Fees for a Medication Assessment are as follows:

1.Initial Medication Assessment (50 mins) – £295

2.Follow up (30 mins) – £147.50

3.Repeat prescriptions (outside of Assessment/ Follow up) – £30

Please allow at least 3 follow up appointments to fully stabilise dose and type of medication. There will also be a fee for the purchase of the medication, from the pharmacy.

Once you are stable on medication, our prescriber will write to your GP to request a shared care arrangement.

ADHD coaching / therapy

Medication for ADHD is known to be most effective when combined with targeted psychological treatments that address emotional and behavioural issues and teach new coping skills.

We offer the following psychological support and interventions:

Education around ADHD and understanding role of executive functioning in everyday life
Handouts to share with family/ improve relationship understanding
Coping strategies/ goal setting/ problem solving/ accountability
Improving sleep/ lifestyle changes
Improving self esteem
Activities to enhance functioning
Using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to improve core beliefs that may have developed such as “I am not good enough”
Using EMDR to heal past hurts, rejections and humiliations that may have occurred during times
EMDR to increase confidence and improve self esteem
Compassion Focussed Therapy to address the impact that ADHD can have on an individual’s wellbeing.
Dialectical Behaviour Skills for managing emotional dysregulation and impulsive tendencies
Treatment of depression, anxiety or trauma that are often co-occurring with a lifetime of ADHD struggles
Opportunity to meet with our dietician to consider the impact of food and nutrition on brain functioning, emotional regulation, medication metabolization and executive functioning.-

Psychological interventions are based on a fee per session. We offer a range of prices depending on therapist seen. Please see our team page for more information on individual charges per session.

What is the cancellation/ refund policy?

If you request a refund after paying the fee (prior to starting the assessment), we will need to deduct the Stripe card fee before providing a refund.

Once you have completed Stage 2, should you require a refund, this will be provided minus £200 to cover admin and scoring of all Stage 2 questionnaires.

Once stage 3 has begun we are unable to offer any refunds of the assessment fee.

Stage 3 clinical interviews cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice prior to starting, will incur an additional fee of £300 to cover the Psychologists time. If incurred, this cancellation fee will need to be paid prior to any further assessment sessions being booked. If we manage to fill the assessment with another client, this fee will not be charged. However due to the last minute nature of the cancellation, this may not be possible.

If someone else is paying for your sessions (i.e. a family member, friend or a company) and they enquire about your attendance, we may provide limited information pertaining to which sessions have been attended/ cancelled.

For Health Insurance Clients: Please note that your Health Insurance does not cover cancellation fees. If cancellation fees arise we will invoice you directly and require payment by card.
We are unable to offer a refund should you be unhappy with the clinical outcome of the assessment.

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