Private ADHD and autism assessment in Dundee

Psychiatric ADHD and autism assessment for Dundee adults

Caledonian Psychiatry provides private adult ADHD and autism assessment to people living, working or studying in Dundee and across NHS Tayside. Every assessment is led personally by Dr David Crocker, an experienced psychiatrist (MRCPsych) with a particular focus on adult neurodevelopmental conditions, and the practice holds Healthcare Improvement Scotland registration (reg. 03427). Because the whole pathway runs by video, a patient’s exact address in Dundee, Angus or Perth & Kinross has no bearing on the quality of the assessment or the report that follows.

There is no in-person clinic to attend — every appointment happens over encrypted video, so nothing changes for a patient joining from a flat in the West End, a desk at the University of Dundee or Abertay University, or a workstation in one of the city’s tech studios. The reporting, note-taking and diagnostic reasoning follow exactly the same NICE-aligned process a face-to-face patient would receive; only the format of the appointment differs. Patients travelling in from Broughty Ferry, Monifieth, Carnoustie, Arbroath and the wider Angus and Perth & Kinross area attend on the same terms.

Dundee’s two universities, together with the city’s growing digital, games-technology and biomedical sectors, mean a large share of Dr Crocker’s Tayside patients are students, recent graduates or young professionals. It is a common pattern: coursework, deadlines and a first demanding job in a fast-moving industry can expose organisational and attentional difficulties that were manageable, or simply unnoticed, at school. Piecing together a childhood and adult history within a single structured assessment is often what finally makes sense of years of that experience. The same pattern is familiar among students and graduates travelling in from St Andrews and Perth, both within easy reach of a Dundee-based video appointment.

The NHS picture in Dundee

NHS adult ADHD and autism assessment for people in Dundee, Angus and Perth & Kinross is commissioned through NHS Tayside. Demand has consistently outstripped capacity, and the interval most adults experience between a GP referral and a first NHS appointment runs to years rather than weeks or months. That gap is the single most common reason Tayside patients get in touch about a private assessment.

Nationally, the picture is similar: the Scottish Parliament reported around 23,300 adults waiting for an ADHD or autism assessment as of March 2025, with a median adult wait of roughly 76 weeks. More detail on how Tayside compares with other health board areas is on our NHS ADHD and autism waiting times across Scotland page, along with an explanation of why the Right to Choose route available in England doesn’t apply in Scotland.

By contrast, Caledonian Psychiatry can usually offer a Dundee patient a first appointment within a few weeks of getting in touch, and self-referral is welcome — there is no need to wait for, or hold, a GP referral before booking.

What the assessment involves

Every ADHD assessment follows the NICE NG87 guideline and is built around two 60-minute video appointments. Across those sessions, Dr Crocker builds a detailed picture of childhood and adult functioning, applies validated diagnostic rating scales and, where a parent, partner or old school report can usefully add detail, draws on that collateral information too. The result is a full written report explaining the diagnostic conclusion and setting out practical recommendations. The full ADHD assessment page sets out exactly what each of the two appointments covers, and our approach page follows the whole pathway from first enquiry through to the final report.

Autism assessment in Dundee

Caledonian Psychiatry assesses adult autism as well as ADHD for patients across Dundee, Angus and Tayside. The two conditions overlap often enough that many people who first enquire about ADHD recognise autistic traits in themselves once they start describing their history — Dr Crocker considers both, so a patient does not have to be certain in advance which one fits. This comes up particularly often among Dundee patients who managed well at school and only found independent living, group project work or a graduate job harder than expected. The autism pathway is built the same way as the ADHD one: a structured, NICE-aligned developmental history, validated tools, and a full written report at the end.

Where it is not clear whether ADHD, autism, or both are the better explanation, a combined ADHD and autism assessment covers both conditions in a single pathway rather than asking a patient to choose upfront. Further detail sits on the autism assessment page and the private autism assessment in Scotland page.

What it costs

A standalone ADHD assessment — two 60-minute video appointments — costs £800. Every other fee, including prescriptions and follow-up appointments, is listed in full on the fee schedule.

Autism assessment on its own is also £800. Where both are wanted, the combined ADHD and autism assessment (three 60-minute sessions) is £1,300 rather than the cost of two separate assessments — often the more economical choice for a Dundee patient, particularly a student or recent graduate, weighing up whether autism as well as ADHD needs looking at.

After a diagnosis — treatment and shared care

A confirmed ADHD diagnosis opens up medication as one option among several. Scotland has no national policy obliging a GP practice to take on prescribing after a private diagnosis — it remains a decision for the individual Tayside practice. What Dr Crocker can control is the quality of the report a GP is asked to act on: it follows NICE and RCPsych standards and lays out the clinical reasoning plainly, and the quality standards behind every assessment are published for a practice to review. More on how the handover typically works is on the shared care with your GP page.

Seen across Dundee and Tayside by secure video

No clinic, no parking, no waiting room: patients across Dundee, Broughty Ferry, Monifieth, Carnoustie and the wider Angus and Perth & Kinross area join their appointment from wherever suits them best — home, halls of residence, a private office, or anywhere else quiet enough for an hour. Slots run throughout the working week, including early mornings and Friday afternoons, to work around lectures, shifts or a full-time job. To arrange an assessment, use the form below or email directly; the practice aims to reply to every enquiry within 48 hours.