Private ADHD and autism assessment in Wales

Psychiatric ADHD and autism assessment for adults across Wales

Caledonian Psychiatry offers private adult ADHD and autism assessment to people across the whole of Wales — from Cardiff, Newport, Barry, Caerphilly, Pontypridd and the Valleys in the south-east, through Swansea, Llanelli, Neath, Port Talbot and Carmarthen in the west, to Wrexham, Bangor and the towns and villages of north Wales. Assessments are conducted by Dr David Crocker, a GMC-registered psychiatrist (MRCPsych) with extensive experience in adult neurodevelopmental conditions. The practice is based in North Berwick, Scotland, and is regulated by Healthcare Improvement Scotland (reg. 03427). GMC registration is UK-wide, so Dr Crocker assesses patients in Wales exactly as he does in Scotland — every appointment takes place by secure video.

There is no travel involved and no waiting room. Patients anywhere in Wales attend from home, from work, or from wherever is most convenient. The clinical standard does not depend on the room: the same doctor, the same NICE-aligned process, and the same detailed written report. If you would like a feel for how an appointment with Dr Crocker actually runs before you commit to anything, our approach page walks through what to expect, from first contact to the written report.

The NHS picture in Wales

In Wales, NHS care is delivered by NHS Wales (GIG Cymru) and organised by regional health boards — Cardiff and Vale University Health Board in the capital, Swansea Bay covering Swansea and Neath Port Talbot, Aneurin Bevan across Newport and Gwent, Hywel Dda across Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion, and Betsi Cadwaladr across the whole of north Wales, among others. A GP referral to your local health board’s neurodevelopmental service is free at the point of use, and for some people it is the right route. It is also, commonly, a slow one: demand for adult ADHD and autism assessment has grown substantially across Wales in recent years, and waits are commonly long and vary considerably from one health board to another. We deliberately do not quote waiting-time figures for individual Welsh NHS services here: they change frequently and differ between areas. Your GP or local health board can tell you the current position where you live.

One question comes up often from patients in Wales researching their options: the NHS “Right to Choose”. It is important to be clear about what that scheme is — and where it applies.

Right to Choose — why it does not apply in Wales

One point worth being clear about: Right to Choose does not apply in Wales. It is an NHS England mechanism, arising from the NHS Constitution for England, that lets patients registered with a GP in England choose their provider when referred for a first outpatient appointment. It applies in England only — not in Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland. If you are registered with a GP in Wales, you cannot use Right to Choose to obtain an NHS-funded ADHD or autism assessment from an alternative provider, however often the scheme appears in online ADHD forums and guides written for English patients — any website suggesting otherwise is assuming an English GP registration.

What the assessment involves

The assessment follows NICE guidance (NG87) and comprises two 60-minute video appointments. Dr Crocker takes a comprehensive developmental and clinical history, uses validated diagnostic rating scales, and where possible gathers collateral information to build a thorough evidence base for his conclusions. A full written report is provided after the assessment, setting out the diagnostic reasoning and personalised recommendations. For full details of what each appointment covers, see our full ADHD assessment page.

A private diagnosis is only worth paying for if it holds up afterwards — when your Welsh GP reads the report, when an employer or university asks for evidence, or if your care later transfers to an NHS service. The standards every Caledonian Psychiatry assessment is held to, and why they matter for exactly those situations, are set out openly on our quality standards page.

Assessment without the journey — from the Gower to Gwynedd

For many people in Wales, the biggest practical barrier to a psychiatric assessment has never been the assessment itself — it is the distance. In-person private clinics tend to cluster in Cardiff and the larger English cities, and from Carmarthen, Haverfordwest or Aberystwyth — let alone Caernarfon, Porthmadog or Anglesey — attending a series of appointments can mean hours of driving each way, time off work, and public-transport connections that simply do not line up. Two or three round trips for a full assessment pathway is a genuine undertaking.

Remote assessment removes that barrier entirely. A secure video appointment needs only a reasonable internet connection and a private space — a kitchen table in rural Carmarthenshire or a house outside Bangor works exactly as well as a flat in Cardiff Bay or Uplands. Follow-up appointments and medication reviews happen the same way, so ongoing care does not depend on repeated long journeys either. For patients on the Gower, along the Pembrokeshire coast, in mid Wales or across the north, this is often the difference between an assessment being practical and it being put off for another year.

Autism assessment in Wales

Caledonian Psychiatry also offers private adult autism assessment for people across Wales. Many adults who enquire about ADHD also recognise autistic traits in themselves — the two frequently co-occur — and Dr Crocker assesses both, so there is no need to decide in advance which one best fits. This is especially common among those who have managed well academically or at work for years and only begin to ask questions later in adult life. Autism assessment follows a structured, NICE-aligned process built around a detailed developmental history and validated tools, leading to the same thorough written report.

If you are unsure whether ADHD, autism, or both best explain your experiences, a combined ADHD and autism assessment considers both in a single pathway. You can read more on our autism assessment page.

What it costs

An ADHD assessment (two sessions of 60 minutes each) costs £800 — the price is the same wherever in Wales you live, and there is nothing added for distance because there is no travel. The full schedule of charges, including prescriptions and follow-up appointments, is set out on our fee schedule page.

If you are also considering an autism assessment, a combined ADHD and autism assessment is available for £1,300 (three sessions of 60 minutes). A standalone autism assessment is £800. Many adults enquiring about ADHD have questions about autism too, and a combined assessment is often the most efficient route when both are suspected.

After a diagnosis — treatment, titration and shared care with Welsh GPs

Where ADHD is confirmed, medication is one important treatment option. Dr Crocker can issue private prescriptions, which can be dispensed at a pharmacy near you anywhere in Wales where clinically appropriate. Starting ADHD medication is not a single event but a supervised process: the dose is adjusted over a series of short video follow-up appointments until you are settled on what works, and those reviews happen by the same secure video route as the assessment itself — nothing about titration requires travelling anywhere.

Once treatment is stable, a shared-care arrangement — where your NHS GP takes over routine prescribing while Dr Crocker remains available for advice — may be possible. In Wales, GP participation in shared care following a private diagnosis is voluntary: whether a practice agrees is a matter for the individual GP and their practice, and approaches vary between practices and between health board areas. Dr Crocker’s assessment reports are written with GP readers in mind: they follow NICE and RCPsych standards and set out the diagnostic reasoning clearly, so that a GP considering shared care has everything they need to make an informed decision. How the process works — and what happens if a GP declines — is explained on our shared care with your GP page.

Seen across Wales by secure video

There is no clinic to travel to, no parking to find, and no waiting room. Patients in Cardiff, Swansea, Newport, the Valleys, west Wales and the north attend their appointments via a secure encrypted video platform from wherever they feel most at ease — whether that is their living room, a private office, or another quiet setting. No GP referral is needed for a private assessment: Dr Crocker accepts self-referrals directly. Appointments are available during the working week, including early mornings and Fridays. Booking is straightforward: get in touch below, and a member of the team will respond within 48 hours.