fb
NHS area · Scotland

ADHD assessment in NHS Ayrshire and Arran

Figures come from our own Freedom of Information requests. Last updated 22 May 2026.

At a glance

Adults
217
adults waiting for an NHS ADHD assessment
At the current pace, a new referral to a local NHS service could wait about 31 years.
9th longest of 35 areas we have figures for. Middle of all areas: 12 years.
Children and young people
475
children and young people waiting for an assessment
At the current pace, a new referral to a local NHS service could wait about 16 years.
1st longest of 38 areas we have figures for. Middle of all areas: 2.7 years.
Right to Choose
England only
Right to Choose does not apply in Scotland. Your GP refers you to your local NHS service.
We know of 1 restriction affecting access here. See details

How NHS Ayrshire and Arran compares with other areas

Each dot is one NHS area. Further right means a longer wait at the current pace.

Middle of all areas: 12 yearsThis area: about 31 years
010 yrs20 yrs30 yrs40 yrs50 yrs60 yrs70+ yrs
What does "at the current pace" mean?

We divide the number of people waiting by the number of assessments the service did in the last year. It shows how long someone joining the list today could wait if nothing changes. It is an estimate, not a promise: services can speed up, and some people are seen sooner because of urgency. The NHS standard for non-urgent care is 18 weeks.

Local NHS services

The NHS services that assess people here, with their latest figures.

217 adults waiting across the whole area, according to the NHS Ayrshire and Arran (30 April 2026).
What they told us

NHS Ayrshire & Arran told us via FOI (ref 0356-2026, dated 22/05/2026) that 217 adults are waiting for a new ADHD assessment as of 30 April 2026. 7 new ADHD assessments were completed in 2025/26. Stated average wait is 115 weeks. Note: 58 adults received an ADHD diagnosis in the year, but most of these were diagnosed during ongoing assessment of complex/severe mental health conditions rather than via the dedicated ADHD assessment pathway. ACCESS RESTRICTION: only referrals with co-morbidity and/or significant functional impact are currently accepted. Pathway: Comprehensive ADHD Assessment -> Formulation & Feedback -> Medication management & monitoring -> NEST third-sector support. EFFECTIVE WAIT: at the 2025/26 assessment rate (7 per year), the 217-strong waiting list represents an effective wait of roughly 31 years (217 / 7); the board's own stated average wait is 115 weeks.

Source

We don't have figures from individual NHS services here yet.

What is restricting access here

Rules the NHS here has put in place that limit who can be assessed, or how fast.

Adults

Extra referral checks (triage)

Adults are currently only accepted for an ADHD assessment if they also have another condition or their daily life is significantly affected.

22 May 2026 · Source

Know of a restriction we've missed? Tell us.

What you can do

1

Get updates for this area

We'll email you when new figures or restrictions are published for NHS Ayrshire and Arran, and when complaint letters are ready.

2

Write to the ICB and your MP

Letter templates for this area are being prepared. Sign up and we'll tell you when they're ready.

Coming soon
3

Tell us something we've missed

A new restriction, a letter from your trust, a figure that looks wrong. It helps us keep this page accurate.

Sources and how we work

In May 2026 we sent Freedom of Information requests to 1 organisation here. 1 has replied: 1 in full, 0 in part.

OrganisationReplyReceivedDocument
NHS Ayrshire and ArranFull22 May 2026View
Older figures and records (5)
  • Mar 2025 NHS Ayrshire and Arran (adults): 234 waiting, 78 assessed · Source
    NHS Ayrshire & Arran told us via FOI that they commissions child ADHD assessments, and undertakes adult and child ADHD assessments. Key figures: 78 adult assessments in 2024/25; 229 adults currently waiting; 154 child assessments in 2024/25; 1,407 children currently waiting.
  • Mar 2025 NHS Ayrshire and Arran (children): 1,408 waiting, 154 assessed · Source
    NHS Ayrshire & Arran told us via FOI that they commissions child ADHD assessments, and undertakes adult and child ADHD assessments. Key figures: 78 adult assessments in 2024/25; 229 adults currently waiting; 154 child assessments in 2024/25; 1,407 children currently waiting.
  • Jul 2024 NHS Ayrshire and Arran (adults): 199 waiting, 48 assessed · Source
    The BBC published research on ADHD wait times. They published data by NHS provider. In some cases the provider covers more than one NHS area. We've mapped the BBC data onto your ICB. It reported that in 2024 NHS Ayrshire and Arran had 199 people waiting with 48 seen in 2023/24. Giving an effective wait time of 4.1 years
  • Mar 2023 NHS Ayrshire and Arran (adults) · Source
    The NHS Ayrshire and Arran told us via FOI that they did not provide a figure for how many adult ADHD assessments were carried out. they did not provide a figure for how many adults were waiting for an ADHD assessment.
  • Mar 2023 NHS Ayrshire and Arran (children) · Source
    The NHS Ayrshire and Arran told us via FOI that they did not provide a figure for how many child ADHD assessments were carried out. they did not provide a figure for how many children were waiting for an ADHD assessment.

© ADHD UK. Database right reserved. Free for personal, press, academic and charity use with credit to ADHD UK. Not for commercial use.

This information was obtained, checked and analysed by ADHD UK through our own Freedom of Information requests. Copying it to another website, or into a commercial product, dataset or AI tool, is not permitted. See our website terms. Questions about using this information? Contact us.