A straight look at the NHS and private routes in London, and the two questions worth asking before you pick either.
London is split across several Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) — North Central London, South West London, and North West London among them (some of these have recently merged, so check which one covers your GP practice). Each ICB sets its own capacity for ADHD assessments and its own rules on NHS Right to Choose, the scheme that lets you ask your GP to refer you to an approved private provider at NHS expense instead of waiting on the local list.
The honest picture nationally: at least nine NHS areas in England have told Right to Choose providers to stop booking new ADHD assessments altogether, and the situation changes area by area, sometimes month to month. That means the answer for “how long will I wait in London” genuinely depends on which ICB covers you, and it can change while you're already on the list. ADHD UK maintains an area-by-area tracker if you want to check the current status where you live before assuming either way.
Private assessment is faster — often weeks rather than years — but two things make it harder to plan around than it should be. First, prices vary a lot between providers and the headline price is often just the first appointment, not the full diagnostic and titration process. Second, being privately diagnosed doesn't automatically mean ongoing prescribing is sorted: your GP has to agree to take over prescribing under a shared care arrangement, and GPs are under no obligation to accept it. Some private providers have a real plan for what happens if your GP says no; some don't, and you find out only after you've already paid for the assessment.
This page is informational, not medical advice. Proco does not currently offer ADHD assessment or prescribing services. If you have concerns about ADHD, speak to your GP, or look into NHS Right to Choose for your area.