The current picture
Right to Choose lets NHS patients in England pick which provider carries out their ADHD assessment, and the headline reason people use it is speed. But "faster than the local NHS pathway" covers a huge range, and the gap between providers, and between regions with the same provider, has widened in 2026. Here is what the main providers were publishing when we checked their figures in June 2026.
| Provider | Adult assessment wait | Titration wait | Figures updated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychiatry-UK | 32 to 40 weeks | 44 to 52 weeks after assessment | 3 June 2026 |
| Clinical Partners | Around 10 months | 12 to 18 months (medication service) | 8 June 2026 |
| ADHD 360 | 12 weeks to 2+ years, by region | Not published | 9 June 2026 |
Other providers also hold Right to Choose contracts for ADHD, including ProblemShared and Dr J & Colleagues, and publish their own figures. The charity ADHD UK contacts providers monthly and maintains the most complete independent wait time tracker.
These figures go out of date quickly. Providers update their published waits monthly, and several revised them upwards during 2026. Treat the table above as a snapshot from June 2026 and confirm current figures on the provider's own page before asking your GP for a referral.
Why your ICB matters more than the provider
The biggest change in 2026 is that where you live now shapes your wait as much as which provider you choose. Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), the regional NHS bodies that fund care, agree activity levels with each provider, and for April 2026 to March 2027 several have reduced them. Same provider, very different queues.
ADHD 360's published figures show the spread clearly. At the fast end, it quotes average adult waits of around 46 to 48 weeks in the NHS Black Country and North East and North Cumbria areas, and around 38 weeks in Lincolnshire. At the slow end, it quotes averages of 75 to 86 weeks across Northamptonshire, Thames Valley, and Surrey and Sussex, with several regions, including West Yorkshire and Hampshire and Isle of Wight, listed at more than two years.
Some ICBs have gone further than stretching queues. As of early June 2026, Clinical Partners lists paused new bookings in Greater Manchester, Hampshire and Isle of Wight, Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, and Somerset until funding is confirmed, and South East London routes adult ADHD referrals through a local triage service first. A few ICBs also impose minimum waits before an assessment can take place. None of this removes your right to choose a provider, but it does change how quickly the chosen provider can see you.
The assessment wait is only half the story
Most published figures are the wait to your assessment appointment. If you are diagnosed and choose medication, a second queue starts: the wait for titration, the supervised period where your prescriber finds the right medication and dose for you.
The second queue is now often the longer one. Psychiatry-UK quotes 44 to 52 weeks from assessment to starting medication. Clinical Partners quotes 12 to 18 months for its adult medication service. Add the queues together and the realistic time from GP referral to a stable prescription can be two years or more, even on the "fast" pathway.
That makes the in-between time valuable. A documented baseline of how you function unmedicated gives titration a reference picture, and careful logging once titration starts means each review appointment actually moves things forward. ADHDose is built around exactly this: it tracks focus, sleep, and energy before medication, then models your medication levels through the day at each dose once titration begins. Our titration tracking guide covers what to log at each stage.
How to choose a provider in practice
Compare both queues, not just the first one
A provider with a slightly longer assessment wait but a much shorter titration wait may get you to a working prescription sooner. Ask each provider for both figures for your region before deciding.
Look up your ICB on the provider's page
Most large providers now publish wait times or restrictions by ICB. Find your ICB (your GP surgery's website will say which one covers you) and read the provider's note for it. A national average means little if your region is paused or capped.
Allow for referral processing
The clock does not start the day you see your GP. Providers say it can take up to 8 weeks from referral to first contact, and they advise chasing your GP if you have heard nothing after about 10 weeks. Keep a copy of the referral date.
Think ahead to shared care
After titration, your provider will ask your GP to take over routine prescribing under a shared care agreement. Some GP practices are cautious about agreements with online providers, so it is worth asking your surgery early how they handle shared care requests. Our shared care guide explains the process and your options if the GP declines.
Where to check live figures
Wait times move monthly, so go to the source rather than relying on screenshots and forum posts. The pages we checked for this article:
ADHD UK's Right to Choose wait time tracker, updated monthly across providers.
Psychiatry-UK's waiting times page, including titration figures.
ADHD 360's wait times and ICB allowances page, broken down by region.
Clinical Partners' Right to Choose updates page, including paused regions.
If you have not yet been referred, start with our Right to Choose guide for the process itself, and the GP appointment script for exactly what to say.
Common questions about Right to Choose wait times
On a Right to Choose waiting list?
Build your pre-medication baseline while you wait. When titration starts, ADHDose models your medication levels at every dose so your reviews run on data, not memory.
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