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Right to Choose

Introduction

All patient have the ‘Right to Choose’ where they would like to be seen when requesting a referral for an Autism/ADHD assessment.

Due to the current wait times for ADHD/ASD assessments, the NHS Right to Choose scheme was introduced in 2018. This gives patients the opportunity to request a referral to a provider who can offer shorter wait times.

This service is free via the NHS and is available for children and adults.

ADHD Medication Prescriptions – Important Update

We have seen a big rise in ADHD diagnoses from private clinics, with many asking us to take over prescribing medication through the NHS. However, some of these clinics are not held to the same standards as NHS services, and this can raise concerns about safety, follow-up, and consistency of care.

From 1 May 2025, we will follow new NHS rules around who we can prescribe ADHD medication for, based on guidance from NHS Kent and Medway.

What’s Changing?

From 1 May 2025:

We can only accept ADHD medication requests from Right to Choose (RTC) providers. These are the providers approved by the NHS to offer this care.
There must be a Shared Care Agreement in place between your provider and our GP practice. This agreement outlines who is responsible for your care and ensures we work safely together. You can find the agreement here:
- For children and young people – ADHD Shared Care Agreement
- For adults – ADHD Shared Care Agreement
You must attend regular check-ups as part of this agreement. This includes:
- Weight, height, blood pressure, and pulse checks at least every 6 months and you will be invited by the surgery for this
- Over 18 years - a yearly medication review with one of our GP’s
- Under 18 years - a yearly medication review must be arranged with your ADHD specialist
  If these checks aren’t completed, we may have to stop prescribing and return responsibility to the provider.

Why Are These Changes Happening?

ADHD and autism assessments and treatments are specialist services. GP’s don’t always have the training to safely manage this care without input from specialists.

From 1 April 2025, NHS rules say all adult referrals for ADHD or autism diagnosis, medication, or titration must go through Right to Choose (RTC) providers. Only these providers can ask us to take over prescribing.

Follow the link for a full list of approved Right to Choose Providers which are authorised to provide NHS ADHD medication prescriptions.

What About Children and Teenagers?

We know NHS services for young people are very limited right now, and waiting times can be very long. Because of this, we may accept Shared Care Agreements from private providers for children, but this will be decided by your usual GP.

What If I’m Diagnosed with Autism and Want NHS Support?

The Post-Diagnostic Support Service is closing on 31 March 2025. It’s being replaced by the Adult Autism Keyworker Service. You can find more information here.

Already on ADHD Medication from a Private Provider?

If your provider is not part of the NHS-approved RTC list, we can’t take over your prescriptions. You will need to continue getting your medication through your private provider.

Need Support or More Info?

You can find helpful resources, advice, and support at the new online hub.

This hub includes:

Help for children, young people, and adults with ADHD or autism
Information about support available with or without a diagnosis
Updates on Right to Choose
Links to local and national support organisations

Providers

There are numerous providers currently offering this service in the South East and patients can easily find these by searching ‘NHS right to choose ADHD/ASD assessment’. This will allow patients to research the choice of providers available and decide which one would best suit their needs. Patients should be aware that there are certain criteria for each provider, and should visit the provider’s website to find out if they are offering the service they need.

Each provider has their own referral process so patients are advised to ensure they carefully check this and then contact the GP once they have completed the necessary steps as outlined by the service provider.

Most providers will ask the patient to complete some questionnaires and these will be found on their websites. We ask that patients send these completed forms to their GP once they have decided where they would like their referral(s) to be sent.

The GP will then complete any actions needed on their part e.g. creating a referral letter or signing a referral form and then will send off the referral to the requested provider.

The patient will then be contacted by their chosen provider within the time scale stated on their website to discuss the next steps.

When can you not use Right to Choose?

There are some restrictions for which patients are not eligible for a Right to Choose assessment and below is a list of the reasons (please note some of these are not relevant to children):

You need urgent or emergency treatment - this is often not relevant as there are rarely times when this type of referral is considered urgent, but is still worth noting here
You already receive care and treatment for the condition you are seeking an assessment for
You have already had a neurodevelopmental assessment before, whether that be privately or through the NHS, including ADHD or Autism assessments.
The organisation or clinical team you’ve chosen does not provide the right care for the condition or cannot see under 18s
You are a prisoner or on temporary release from prison
You are detained in prescribed accommodation such as a court, secure training centre, immigration removal centre or young offender’s institute
You are detained in a secure hospital setting
You are detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 (as amended in 2007)
You are a serving member of the armed forces

It is important patients talk to their GP in the first instance, have an open and honest conversation about why they think they have ADHD and/or ASD and talk about any mental health concerns they might have. The goal is to help and the conversation will often be wider than just the query of ADHD /ASD.

Following that conversation the GP may suggest a referral for an official assessment. The current waiting time in Kent for an over 18s ADHD assessment is around 5-7 years, an over 18s ASD assessment waiting time is around 3 years and the current under 18s waiting time for ADHD /ASD assessments is around 2-4 years. Usually children’s referrals would come direct from their school and not the GP.

Important information to consider about Right to Choose

It is important to note that many of the clinics mentioned can offer diagnosis but are not always able to offer medication titration.

This means that patients may be able to obtain a diagnosis with the named clinics, but often they will then need a local NHS referral should they need to start medication to control symptoms. Post-diagnostic support in Kent has a waiting list of around two years, correct at time of posting.

Patients should ensure they contact their GP/secretarial team to request this onward referral for post-diagnosis treatment as this will not be sent automatically.

Useful Resources

ADHD Assessment Providers (Over 18s)

ADHD 360 offer remote ADHD assessments for patients aged 18 and over
Psychiatry UK offer remote ADHD and ASD assessments for patients aged 18 and over
Dr J & Colleagues offer remote ADHD and ASD assessments for patients aged 18 and over
Clinical Partners offer remote ADHD and ASD assessments for all patients aged 18+
Problem Shared offer remote ADHD and ASD assessments for patients aged 18 and over
Harrow Health offer remote & face-to-face ADHD assessments for patients aged 18 and over. Face-to-face assessments will be held in Harrow, NW London.
CARE ADHD offer remote ADHD assessments for patients aged 18 and over

For more information on ADHD & Right to Choose referrals, the ADHD UK website has some useful information

ADHD Assessment Providers (Under 18s)

Psicon (based in Canterbury, Kent) offer face-to-face ADHD assessments for patients aged 6 to 18. Please note you may have to travel to Basingstoke for an assessment; Psicon will triage the referral and decide if Canterbury is suitable for your child’s case.
ADHD360 offer remote ADHD assessments for patients aged 14 and over.
Clinical Partners offer remote ADHD and ASD assessments for all patients aged 5+