ADHD and ASD Referrals

Right to Choose referrals for patients aged 16+

What is Right to Choose?
In England, under the NHS, you now have a legal right to choose your mental healthcare provider, including for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) assessments. This service, offered through the NHS, is free of charge. This important right allows you to explore alternative providers if the waiting time for an ADHD or ASD assessment is too long, or there is no available service in your local area.

Who Can Offer Right to Choose Assessments?
Several clinics across the UK offer Right to Choose ADHD and/or ASD assessments. To be eligible to provide this service, clinics must also offer the same service and hold an NHS contract in England. Private-only clinics are not eligible. Checking a provider’s website is a good way to determine if they offer the services you need.

Which Providers Offer Right to Choose Assessments?
The list of clinics offering Right to Choose assessments is constantly evolving and unfortunately, due to the volume of services available and constant changes, we do not have capacity to advise on best services available or who has shortest wait times.  This would need to be researched by the patient. You may wish to ask a friend or family member to help you.

Important Resources

Things to Consider About Right to Choose
It is important to note that some clinics offering assessments can diagnose ADHD or ASD but may not provide follow up care or medication initiation and titration. They may also only be able to offer online / virtual assessments rather than face to face and may only be able to assess patients from 18 years of age. Details on what the service can offer should be available on their website and be considered before choosing a service.

Right to Choose Eligibility
There are certain restrictions on eligibility for Right to Choose referrals. You are not eligible if:

  • Registered and remain registered with a GP in England.
  • The referral must be clinically relevant (self-assessment forms can help in determining this).
  • You must not require urgent or emergency treatment
  • You are not already receiving care for the same condition you are seeking an assessment for.
  • You are not a prisoner or in specific secure settings such as a secure hospital or under the Mental Health Act.
  • You are a not a serving member of the armed forces.

How to Request a Right to Choose Referral from Your GP
For an ADHD or Autism assessment referral please complete any of the forms mentioned on your Right to Choose provider website. For ADHD this may include a self assessment questionnaire called an ‘ASRS’ and for Autism an ‘AQ10’ form.

 Forward the completed forms, along with the name of you chosen Right to Choose service and a brief description of your current symptoms to cmicb-cheshire.wittonstreetsecretaries@nhs.net.  The brief description should include details of how your current symptoms are affecting your daily life at home, work, socially etc.

If you are unsure if a referral is suitable please request an appointment through our Digital Front Door and have an open conversation with a GP about your concerns or queries.

How Much Quicker Will Right to Choose Be?
The speed of the assessment depends on your chosen clinic and whether they offer separate medication titration. Generally, Right to Choose assessments can take anywhere from 12 weeks to 12 months. 

Right to Choose Medication / Prescriptions

Many patients find that a diagnosis is sufficient for obtaining additional support from schools or employers, or they may not need medication at all for managing their condition. Please note we are not able to initiate specialist medication and will only prescribe under a Shared Care Agreement (SCA) once a patient is stable on a dose and only if the provider can meet the same standard for shared care as local NHS services.

(We do not currently accept SCA’s from private assessors).

Further Questions?
If you have additional questions, a simple call to your surgery may provide answers. For further research, here are some helpful resources:

Information on ADHD

Information on ASD