Undiagnosed ADHD Is Already on Your P&L.
The Only Question Is Whether You Act on It.
Lost productivity, rising absence, avoidable attrition, and growing tribunal exposure — the cost of doing nothing is already on your books, just invisible. NeuroAxis turns it into a managed, defensible pathway with fast, NICE-aligned assessment and coaching. Fully remote. No waiting list.
This is not a wellbeing nice-to-have. It is a line on your P&L.
Undiagnosed ADHD does not stay invisible — it shows up as missed deadlines, inconsistent performance, higher sickness absence, and unexplained attrition. The problem is rarely that the employee lacks ability. It is that the support structure does not match how their brain works.
Employees with untreated ADHD lose an average of 22 productive days a year, according to the World Health Organisation, and studies link the condition to more than double the risk of sickness absence. Across a team, the aggregate drag — in lost output, management time, and recruitment — is almost always far greater than the cost of an assessment. You are already paying it; you just cannot see the invoice.
And the case is not only financial. Under the Equality Act 2010, ADHD is a disability where it has a substantial, long-term effect on daily activities — and the legal duty to make reasonable adjustments applies whether or not a formal diagnosis exists.
What is undiagnosed ADHD already costing your organisation?
Most employers underestimate the figure, because the cost is hidden until it surfaces as absence, attrition, or a tribunal claim. Adjust the two figures below for your organisation and see the indicative annual impact.
Estimated annual cost of undiagnosed ADHD
across an estimated 10 employees with ADHD in a workforce of 250
Indicative only. Based on an estimated 4% adult ADHD prevalence (a conservative figure), 22 working days of lost productivity per untreated employee per year (WHO), and a 220-day working year. Real impact varies by role and sector and excludes absence, attrition, recruitment, and legal costs — so this is a floor, not a ceiling.
A single NeuroAxis assessment costs a fraction of that figure — and turns an invisible, recurring loss into a one-off, tax-deductible investment that protects both your people and your organisation.
Arrange a meeting with our Clinical Director →And if the productivity cost does not move you, the legal risk should
Reasonable adjustments are a legal duty, not a courtesy
Under Sections 20 and 21 of the Equality Act 2010, employers must make reasonable adjustments where a provision, criterion, or practice puts a disabled employee at a substantial disadvantage. For ADHD this can mean flexible working, written task assignments, a quiet workspace, or extended deadlines.
The duty is proactive — you cannot wait to be told
The Employment Appeal Tribunal has confirmed that employers have a duty to make reasonable enquiries where circumstances suggest an employee may be disabled. You cannot put the onus on the employee to disclose, and you do not need a formal diagnosis for protection to apply — ACAS is explicit on this. "They never told us" is not a defence.
The risk is now concrete, named, and rising
Neurodiversity-related tribunal cases have doubled in five years. In Khorram v Capgemini (2025), a tribunal found that failing to act on an employee's ADHD needs amounted to unlawful discrimination — and critically, that employer had referred the employee to occupational health but failed to implement the recommendations. A diagnosis on file that you do nothing about is a liability, not a shield. Acting on it is the protection.
A formal ADHD diagnosis from NeuroAxis provides the clinical foundation that occupational health teams, HR departments, and Employment Tribunals recognise — drafted by NMC-registered clinicians, aligned to NICE guidelines, and formatted so the recommendations can actually be acted on. Assessment is the starting point that makes everything else possible.
Three routes — and the fastest one is entirely in your control
Employer-funded direct booking
Your employee books directly through NeuroAxis and you cover the cost — by direct payment or by reimbursing the employee. Support is in place in days, entirely within your control. The assessment is a legitimate, corporation tax-deductible business expense, and the employee receives a full clinical report formatted for HR and occupational health use.
Best for: SMEs and individual HR or line-manager referrals. Fast, simple, no contract required, no waiting on anyone.
Support in days, not months ✓
Referred via your Occupational Health provider
Your occupational health team identifies an employee who may have ADHD and refers them to NeuroAxis as the clinical assessment partner. We assess, issue an employer-formatted report with reasonable-adjustment recommendations, and return it within an agreed turnaround.
Best for: Organisations with existing Occupational Health contracts. Cleanest route for P11D and tax treatment.
Government funding via Access to Work
A formal ADHD diagnosis from NeuroAxis is the strongest foundation for an Access to Work claim — and coaching can be funded through the grant. But be realistic: Access to Work is now running months behind, with the National Audit Office reporting average waits over 100 days and coaching support increasingly rationed. Most employers fund the assessment now and treat any grant as a later offset, rather than waiting on the scheme.
Best for: Use it to recover ongoing support costs — but do not let it become a reason to delay the assessment.
Assessment and support packages for employers
Assessment + Employer Report
A full ADHD diagnostic assessment — up to 90 minutes for adults — conducted by an NMC-registered clinician using NICE-aligned methodology and QbCheck objective testing. The written report includes:
- ✓Clinical diagnosis and diagnostic rationale
- ✓Functional impact section describing how ADHD affects work performance
- ✓Reasonable adjustment recommendations formatted for HR and Occupational Health use
- ✓Access to Work eligibility statement
- ✓GP-ready summary for shared care if required
Suitable for direct booking, employer funding, or Occupational Health referral.
Assessment + ADHD Coaching Package
Assessment and report as above, plus a structured programme of work-focused ADHD coaching that builds executive-function strategies for time management, task initiation, organisation, and focus in a professional context. This is what turns a diagnosis into a retained, productive employee — and what discharges the duty to act, rather than just to assess.
Coaching can be funded directly or, where time allows, through Access to Work — meaning the assessment is often the only net cost to the employer.
Add a neurodiversity pathway to your offer — without building it in-house
Occupational health teams are perfectly placed to identify employees who may have ADHD — but most have no fast clinical pathway to refer into. NeuroAxis is that pathway. We become your neurodiversity assessment partner, so you can say yes to clients who need it, under a clean referral arrangement. For providers and larger employers, we offer:
- ✓Priority appointment slots for referred employees
- ✓Agreed report turnaround — 10 working days standard
- ✓Standardised referral intake format
- ✓Negotiated terms based on organisation size and referral volume
- ✓A named clinical contact for each partner organisation
- ✓Reports formatted to slot straight into your management reporting
4 myths that stop employers acting
Think your employer should fund this? Here is how to ask.
If you suspect you have ADHD and it is affecting your work, you have two routes — and they are not mutually exclusive. Ask your employer to fund the assessment directly (many now support neurodiversity assessments through wellbeing, occupational health, or EAP budgets — you can share this page with HR), or apply to Access to Work yourself, where a formal diagnosis makes your application significantly stronger. Both can run in parallel: your employer funds the assessment, Access to Work funds the ongoing support.
Questions from employers and HR teams
The real question is not whether to act — it is whether you can afford not to
Whether you want to fund a single employee's assessment or establish a referral pipeline with your occupational health provider, we would like to hear from you. Carrie Young, Clinical Director, handles all employer and partnership enquiries personally.
Ready to book? Appointments available this week.
No GP referral needed. No waiting list. Start with a free 15-minute introductory call — no obligation, no pressure.