Getting admitted to Castle Craig
Assessment, timescales, funding and paperwork — what actually happens between the first call and walking through the door.
One of the longest-established residential clinics in the UK, with a hospital-style medical model and a genuinely long average length of stay. This page covers the practical admissions process rather than the marketing: what is assessed, how fast it moves, and where it typically stalls.
The sequence, in order
- 1. Telephone assessment — substance, quantity, last use, medication, health history.
- 2. Clinical sign-off on whether a medically managed detox is needed and can be delivered safely.
- 3. Funding confirmed: self-pay, family, or insurer pre-authorisation.
- 4. Bed offered for a specific date; deposit or insurer authorisation secured.
- 5. Admission day — travel, medication handover, and induction.
Have this ready
- · Current prescriptions, in their packaging
- · GP summary if you can get one
- · Honest daily intake figures — under-reporting delays detox sign-off
- · Who is paying, and by what method
- · Any court, probation or employer deadline
Where admissions stall
- · Waiting on insurer authorisation before assessment
- · Complex physical health needing extra medical review
- · Ambivalence — the person hasn't agreed yet
- · Holding out for one clinic with no bed this week
Who Castle Craig suits
- · Long stays — Castle Craig routinely treats for 6–12 weeks, which suits severe dependence
- · Medically complex alcohol and opioid detox
- · People who want distance from their home environment
Castle Craig is positioned as premium in the UK market (Peeblesshire, Scotland).
Common questions
How quickly can someone be admitted to Castle Craig?▾
Private residential admission in the UK is usually possible within 24 to 72 hours once a telephone assessment is complete and funding is confirmed. Bed availability moves week to week, which is why it is worth holding a second comparable clinic rather than waiting on one.
What does Castle Craig need before admission?▾
A clinical telephone assessment covering substance use, quantities and last use, current prescribed medication, physical and mental health history, and confirmation of who is paying. Bring a GP summary if one is available — it speeds up the medical sign-off.
What does admission to Castle Craig cost?▾
A 28-day programme sits in the £10,000–£18,000 range and detox-only stays around £4,000–£7,000. These are market ranges we have gathered, not a quote — Castle Craig confirms the final price after assessment.
Can a family member arrange the admission?▾
A family member can make the enquiry and handle funding, but the person entering treatment has to consent to the assessment and the admission themselves. Where they are ambivalent, a structured family intervention usually gets further than pressure.
What happens if there is no bed available?▾
We hold a shortlist of comparable CQC-registered clinics at the same price point and check live availability across them, so a full week at one provider does not mean waiting.
Related
We are a referral service, not a clinic, and we are not affiliated with Castle Craig. Admissions decisions and pricing are made by the provider after its own clinical assessment.