Who Can Diagnose ADHD in the UK: Psychiatrist, GP or Other?
NICE names a specialist psychiatrist, paediatrician or other appropriately qualified healthcare professional. What about GPs, psychologists and nurses?
Written and maintained by the ADHD Private editorial team, drawing on the sources listed at the end of this article. This is general information, not medical advice.
For England and Wales, NICE’s ADHD guideline says who should diagnose it: a specialist psychiatrist or a paediatrician. It also allows another “appropriately qualified” healthcare professional with training and expertise in diagnosing ADHD. The NHS in England and Wales tells adults to begin with a GP, who may then refer them.
On 22 October 2026 we read 13 ADHD pages from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, NICE and official health sites in all four UK nations. None names a psychologist or a nurse as someone who diagnoses ADHD. None says they cannot, either.
What follows is general information and not medical advice. Help for a crisis is under “Getting urgent help”, close to the end.
Who may diagnose ADHD: what NICE says
NICE’s guideline on ADHD is called NG87. Recommendation 1.3.1 sets out who should make the diagnosis:
ADHD should only be diagnosed by a specialist psychiatrist, paediatrician or other appropriately qualified healthcare professional with training and expertise in diagnosing ADHD
So NICE names two professions. Then it leaves room for other appropriately qualified healthcare professionals with that training and expertise.
NICE does not list who the others are. On 22 October 2026 we searched its recommendations for the words “appropriately qualified”. They come up once, in 1.3.1.
NICE also says who should get trained. Recommendation 1.1.8 names child and adult psychiatrists, paediatricians, and other child and adult mental health professionals. Each should take training so they are able to diagnose ADHD, it says.
In 2024, NHS England commissioned an ADHD Taskforce. Part 2 of its report was published in November 2025. It cites the NICE line on who should diagnose. Then it says:
it is unclear what constitutes an appropriately qualified healthcare professional or appropriate training
This is the Taskforce’s view. NICE’s recommendation 1.3.1 still says “appropriately qualified”.
What each professional does, according to the sources
Here is a short summary, one row per job. “Not named” means none of the 13 ADHD pages we read lists that job as one that diagnoses ADHD. None says that job cannot.
| Professional | In short | Body |
|---|---|---|
| GP | Adults (England, Wales): asks about your symptoms, may consider other conditions, and may pass you on for a specialist assessment. Children in Scotland: “can’t formally diagnose ADHD”, says NHS inform. | NHS (England); NHS 111 Wales; NHS inform (Scotland) |
| Primary care practitioners | For children and young people: should not make the initial diagnosis or start medication. | NICE (England and Wales) |
| Psychiatrist | Named in NICE’s list of who should diagnose. The NHS gives a psychiatrist as its example of an adult ADHD specialist, and a child and adolescent psychiatrist as one example for children. | NICE; NHS (England); NHS 111 Wales |
| Paediatrician | Named in NICE’s list of who should diagnose. One of the NHS’s two examples of a specialist for a child’s assessment. | NICE; NHS (England); NHS 111 Wales |
| Other qualified healthcare professional | NICE allows another “appropriately qualified” healthcare professional with training and expertise in diagnosing ADHD. It does not say which jobs. | NICE |
| Psychologist | Not named. NICE lists educational psychologists among those who may be part of referring a child on. | Our search; NICE |
| Nurse | Not named. The NHS page on children mentions a school nurse, about changes that could help a child. | Our search; NHS (England) |
| School SENCO | Parents can speak to a SENCO or a GP about a referral. RCPsych says a SENCO may be able to refer a child for an assessment. | NHS (England); RCPsych |
SENCO is short for special educational needs co-ordinator. This is a role in a school.
The GP
In England, the NHS tells adults to book a GP visit if ADHD symptoms get in the way of work, study or relationships. The GP will want to hear about your symptoms and what they do to your daily life, it says. Other conditions might be looked at as well, to help you get the right care. Its examples are autism, Tourette’s and anxiety.
After the visit, the NHS says, the GP might refer you on. The referral would be for an assessment by a mental health professional whose specialism is ADHD. The page from NHS 111 Wales says the same, word for word.
Can a GP diagnose ADHD? None of the 13 pages says a GP can. None says an adult’s GP cannot, either. Two of them address this directly for children. This is from the NHS inform page for children in Scotland:
Your GP can’t formally diagnose ADHD. They can discuss your concerns with you and talk to you about next steps.
NICE has a line on primary care and children. Recommendation 1.2.9 says:
Primary care practitioners should not make the initial diagnosis or start medication in children or young people with suspected ADHD.
NICE also sets out when an adult should be sent for an assessment. That step, and how the route works in each nation, is in our page on the NHS ADHD test.
The adult leaflet from the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) starts with the GP too. It says the GP can refer you to the right service for you. That service is often a community mental health one, it says, or a specialised neurodevelopmental one. It also warns that some people struggle to get referred.
In its 2025 report, the ADHD Taskforce wrote that “primary care does not currently play a major role in ADHD care”.
Psychiatrists
A psychiatrist is a doctor. RCPsych explains the training in a 2015 guide. First comes training as a doctor. Then the doctor works in general medicine and surgery for at least a year. After that come at least six more years of training in helping people with psychological problems.
The same guide lists skills all psychiatrists learn. Two of them are to assess a person’s state of mind and to diagnose a mental illness. We searched the guide’s own text for “ADHD” on 22 October 2026 and found no match.
For adults, the NHS describes who you will see at an ADHD assessment. Its words are “an ADHD specialist such as a psychiatrist”. So the NHS gives a psychiatrist as an example.
Neither of the two RCPsych ADHD leaflets names a psychiatrist as the person who assesses. We searched both on 22 October 2026. The leaflet for parents uses other words. It says “a specialist with training in ADHD” will need to assess the child.
Paediatricians
For a child, the NHS says the assessment will be with one or more ADHD specialists. It gives two examples: a paediatrician, or a child and adolescent psychiatrist. NHS 111 Wales says the same.
NICE sets out when a child should be sent on for an assessment. In those cases, it says the referral should go to secondary care, which it describes as:
a child psychiatrist, paediatrician, or specialist ADHD CAMHS
CAMHS is short for child and adolescent mental health services. NICE spells the term out in its guideline.
Psychologists and nurses
Can a psychologist or a nurse diagnose ADHD? The 13 pages give no answer. On 22 October 2026 we searched all 13 for the words “psychologist” and “nurse”. Not one lists either job as one that assesses for or diagnoses ADHD. And not one says that either job cannot.
Psychologists come up once in NICE’s recommendations. Recommendation 1.2.5 lists educational psychologists among those who may be involved when a child is referred on. GPs, paediatricians, SENCOs and social workers are in that list too. NICE adds that the routes can vary from place to place.
The word “nurse” does not come up in NICE’s recommendations. On the NHS page about children, a school nurse is mentioned once. That line suggests talking to a SENCO, or a school nurse where there is one, about changes that could help a child.
The Taskforce report is not one of the 13 pages. It names both jobs. Under the heading “What is needed”, it says:
Assessing and treating ADHD need to be core competencies for all psychiatrists, psychologists, community paediatricians and specialist mental health nurses.
This is a view of what is needed. It is not a rule about who can diagnose today.
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What the sources say a diagnosis involves
According to NHS inform, there isn’t one test or checklist that confirms ADHD. Its adult and child pages both make this point. RCPsych’s leaflet for parents agrees: no one test exists for ADHD, it says.
NICE lists three things a diagnosis should be based on. One is a full clinical, psychological and social look at the person. It takes in how they behave in different parts of daily life. Another is a full record of how they developed and of their mental health. The last is what other people report, along with a check of the person’s mental state.
A diagnosis should not be made just from rating scales or from watching someone, NICE adds. It calls rating scales “helpful added tools”.
NICE’s next recommendation, 1.3.3, lists what the symptoms should do. The first item says they should:
meet the diagnostic criteria for hyperkinetic disorder in DSM‑5 or ICD‑11
RCPsych’s adult leaflet also lists what a thorough assessment report would include, at the least. The first item is about who did the assessment: “the role, qualifications, and experience of the person assessing you”.
The NHS lists signs of ADHD in adults. Our page on signs of ADHD in adults sets them out.
Who can start ADHD medicine
This page names no medicines. It covers who the sources say may start and prescribe them.
The NHS says ADHD medicines must be started by an ADHD specialist, who must also monitor them. NHS 111 Wales has the same sentence on its adult page and its child page.
NICE says, in recommendation 1.7.2:
All medication for ADHD should only be initiated by a healthcare professional with training and expertise in diagnosing and managing ADHD.
Can a GP prescribe ADHD medicine? The NHS says a GP may be able to take this on. But only, it says, if the GP and the ADHD specialist have a “shared care agreement”. For more on this, it suggests asking your ADHD specialist or GP.
The NHS also says that not everyone with ADHD needs or wants medicine.
In Scotland, NHS inform’s medicine page is written for people who have had an ADHD assessment and diagnosis. It says “your healthcare professional” will check your mental and physical health before you start. It does not say which kind of professional that is. We searched the page for “specialist” and “psychiatrist” on 22 October 2026, and found neither.
Who assesses in each UK nation
The four nations publish separate health pages. This table shows what each says about who carries out an assessment.
| Nation | What its own pages say | Page and date |
|---|---|---|
| England | Adults: a GP may refer you on, and the NHS gives a psychiatrist as its example of the ADHD specialist you will see. Children: one or more ADHD specialists, with a paediatrician or a child and adolescent psychiatrist as the examples. | NHS website, adult and child pages, reviewed 19 March 2025 |
| Wales | NHS Wales says it adapted its pages from the NHS website, nhs.uk. Who it says assesses adults and children reads the same as England. | NHS 111 Wales, adult and child pages, updated 4 July 2025 |
| Scotland | NHS inform says Scotland has no standard approach to assessing ADHD. For adults it depends on your health board area, and for a child on the area where they live. Neither page says what kind of professional assesses. The child page says a GP “can’t formally diagnose ADHD”. | NHS inform, adult page updated 23 June 2026, child page updated 18 June 2026 |
| Northern Ireland | nidirect’s ADHD page speaks to parents: if the doctor thinks a child has ADHD, they may refer the child to a specialist. The Department of Health wrote that there is currently no commissioned ADHD service in Northern Ireland. Because of that, it said, there is no regionally commissioned assessment pathway. It said the person who asked may wish to contact the HSC Trusts, which may be able to tell them more. | nidirect (no date shown); Department of Health reply DOH 2026-0116, 30 June 2026 |
NICE says its guidelines are evidence-based recommendations for health and care in England and Wales.
Checking a doctor’s registration
The General Medical Council (GMC) registers doctors in the UK. It also registers physician associates and anaesthesia associates. On its website, you can search its registers and see a person’s registration status.
For a doctor, the GMC says its register shows whether they hold a licence to practise. It also shows whether they are registered to work as a GP or as a specialist consultant. The GMC adds a note: not all doctors working as specialist consultants have to be on its Specialist Register.
For practitioner psychologists, the regulator is a different body. The British Psychological Society (BPS) says the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) regulates them in the UK.
Getting urgent help
If you can’t cope right now, or you are thinking about ending your life, please reach out. The NHS notes a higher suicide risk in people with ADHD. Its advice, if you feel you want to end your life, is to tell someone.
- England: use 111 online, or ring 111, then pick mental health. According to the NHS, the 111 service will say where you should go for help. An urgent appointment with a GP is another route it gives.
- Scotland: NHS inform says to try your GP practice first, if it is open. If the practice can’t help, call NHS 24 on 111, then pick mental health. The NHS 24 Mental Health Hub takes callers of all ages, according to NHS inform. You won’t be charged for ringing 111, it adds, and the call won’t show on your bill.
- Wales: ring NHS 111 Wales and press 2 for urgent mental health support. The Welsh Government says the line takes calls from people of all ages, around the clock, seven days a week, anywhere in Wales. Landline and mobile calls are free, it says, even with no credit left.
- Northern Ireland: the Lifeline number is 0808 808 8000. nidirect calls it a crisis response helpline that everyone in Northern Ireland can use. It says Lifeline is free, confidential and open all day and night, every day. You can ring it for advice about a friend or relative, too.
- Across the UK: Samaritans answers on 116 123. Its website says you can ring at any time, from any phone, free of charge.
- Under 19: ring Childline on 0800 1111. The NHS lists this number for under-19s, and so does nidirect. Childline says it is open 24 hours a day, every day. It says most UK landlines and mobiles can ring it for free, and the call stays off the phone bill.
- Emergency: ring 999 or go to A&E now when a life is at risk, the NHS says. Do the same, it says, if you feel you cannot keep yourself, or anyone else, safe.
The NHS wants a mental health emergency taken as seriously as a physical one. Seeking help is not wasting anyone’s time, it says.
Does a child or young person you look after in Scotland need to talk to someone urgently? NHS inform suggests phoning their GP practice, or the mental health team they usually see, if open. Otherwise, it says, ring NHS 24 on 111 and pick mental health.
Finding a clinic
To look through private ADHD clinics, see our clinics page. Some UK clinics are missing from it.
Sources
- NICE guideline NG87, ADHD, recommendations chapter (published 14 March 2018, with later minor changes)
- NICE guideline NG87, context chapter
- How NICE describes its guidelines
- NHS, England: adult ADHD page (reviewed 19 March 2025)
- NHS (England) child and teenager ADHD page (reviewed 19 March 2025)
- NHS 111 Wales: adult ADHD page (updated 4 July 2025)
- NHS 111 Wales child and teenager ADHD page (updated 4 July 2025)
- NHS inform, Scotland: adult ADHD page (updated 23 June 2026)
- NHS inform (Scotland) child and teenager ADHD page (updated 18 June 2026)
- NHS inform, Scotland: ADHD medicine page (updated 18 June 2026)
- nidirect, Northern Ireland: ADHD page
- Department of Health (NI), answer to an FOI request, ref. DOH 2026-0116 (30 June 2026)
- RCPsych leaflet: ADHD in adults (June 2023)
- RCPsych leaflet for parents and carers: ADHD in children and teenagers (April 2025)
- RCPsych guide: what to expect of your psychiatrist (April 2015)
- NHS England: ADHD Taskforce report, Part 2 (published 6 November 2025, updated 9 December 2025)
- GMC: search its registers
- GMC: what its registers show
- British Psychological Society: finding a psychologist
- NHS (England) page on urgent mental health support
- NHS inform (Scotland) page on urgent mental health support (updated 4 August 2026)
- Welsh Government: 111 press 2 for mental health
- nidirect, Northern Ireland: crisis and despair page
- Samaritans: how to get in touch
- Childline: how to get in touch
Sources checked on 22 October 2026.
