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NHS area · Scotland

ADHD assessment in NHS Grampian

Figures come from our own Freedom of Information requests. Last updated 29 May 2026.

At a glance

Adults
3,993
adults waiting for an NHS ADHD assessment
Service closed or unfunded in parts of area
At the current pace, a new referral to a local NHS service could wait about 47 years.
5th longest of 35 areas we have figures for. Middle of all areas: 12 years.
Children and young people
No current figure
We don't yet have a recent waiting list figure for this area.
We don't have enough recent figures to estimate how long a new referral would wait.
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 Grampian 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 47 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.

3,993 adults waiting across the whole area, according to the NHS Grampian (29 May 2026).
What they told us

NHS Grampian told us via FOI (FOI/2026/410, dated 29/05/2026) that 3,993 adults are waiting for an ADHD assessment (Aberdeen City 1,800; Aberdeenshire 1,636; Moray 557) and only 85 adult assessments were completed in 2025/26 (Aberdeen 70, Aberdeenshire 15, Moray not held). ACCESS CRISIS: the Aberdeenshire pathway "is now closed" to new referrals; Moray has "no current service" (oldest referral September 2021); Aberdeen describes an UNFUNDED service relying on transient junior doctors and is "currently seeing people who were referred in July 2022" (~4 years). The 208-week figure reflects Aberdeen's stated position. EFFECTIVE WAIT: at the 2025/26 assessment rate (85 per year), the 3,993-strong waiting list represents an effective wait of roughly 47 years (3,993 / 85).

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

Local service closed to new referrals

Aberdeenshire is not accepting new adult ADHD referrals, Moray has no current service, and Aberdeen City is seeing adults referred in July 2022. 3,993 adults are waiting and 85 were assessed in 2025/26.

29 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 Grampian, 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: 0 in full, 1 in part.

OrganisationReplyReceivedDocument
NHS GrampianPartial29 May 2026View
Older figures and records (4)
  • May 2026 NHS Grampian (children) · Source
    NHS Grampian told us via FOI (FOI/2026/410, dated 29/05/2026) that it cannot identify children waiting specifically for ADHD: Community Child Health has 2,200 children on a single mixed list (ADHD alongside developmental delays, neurodisabilities and other conditions; s.17) and CAMHS cannot extract ADHD-specific figures. WAITS: CCH 49 weeks urgent / 70 weeks routine; CAMHS first appointment 8-12 weeks routine, 7 days urgent. CCH child ADHD pathway: school referral -> vetting -> 1-hour paediatric appointment -> questionnaires -> follow-up and diagnosis.
  • Mar 2025 NHS Grampian (adults): 3,063 waiting, 246 assessed · Source
    NHS Grampian told us via forwarded FOI that they undertakes adult and child ADHD assessments. Key figures: 246 adult assessments in 2024/25; 3,075 adults currently waiting.
  • Mar 2023 NHS Grampian (adults): 670 waiting · Source
    The NHS Grampian told us via FOI that they did not provide a figure for how many adult ADHD assessments were carried out. around 670 adults were reported to be waiting for an ADHD assessment.
  • Mar 2023 NHS Grampian (children) · Source
    The NHS Grampian 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.

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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.