ADHD Assessment Through Right to Choose
You have the legal right to ask your GP to be referred to a provider of your choice, as long as they supply a service to the NHS somewhere in England. You can find out more about Right to Choose below and find GP referral forms.
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You can find up-to-date information about our waiting times for ADHD assessments and titration in this Help Centre article: Waiting times
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Unfortunately, we currently have no way of automating acknowledgements to patients to let you know we’ve received your referral but we do confirm receipt with your GPs who can confirm it’s been sent.
Thank you for your patience, please rest assured we’re working really hard to get to you as soon as we can - you should hear from us within around a month of the GP making the referral, and hopefully sooner than that. -
Under the NHS Constitution, you have a legal right to choose any provider in England that holds an NHS contract for the service you need.
If you want an adult ADHD assessment, diagnosis, and treatment, you are entitled to choose Care ADHD.
Sometimes local health bodies (ICBs) accredit certain providers and advise GPs to refer only to those. The problem is that some of these providers may have very long waiting times, which can be unsafe.
GP practices are not always experts in NHS legislation, so they may confuse local guidance from an ICB with your legal rights.
What’s clear is this: you have the right to be referred to Care ADHD - and you don’t have to take “no” for an answer. If you’d like support, our team can contact your GP on your behalf.
You have the legal right to ask your GP to be referred to a provider of your choice as long as they supply a service to the NHS somewhere in England.
For ADHD this is particularly important because we know that the long waiting times for local services can put people off seeking help, and many people are happy to have video consultations with a specialist based anywhere in the country.
Right to Choose within mental health is a relatively new option (since 2018) and as such, not all patients, GPs or other clinicians are aware of it and how it works.
Click here to understand more about your Right to Choose under the NHS Choice Framework
We understand that exercising your Right to Choose can appear complicated, but we’re here to simplify it for you with some forms you can use.
Ready to get started via Right to Choose?
For our adult ADHD service, please:
For our Under 18s service, please:
To learn more about our Under 18s service, click here.
Whether you are an adult aged 18+ looking for support via our adult ADHD service, or the parent/guardian of a child aged 6-18 seeking help via our under 18s service, you will first need a GP referral.
You can use the buttons opposite to download the relevant documents that you need. These include:
GP referral forms, available in Word and PDF.
Your GP will need to complete this form and they will need to send your referral to us by finding us on the NHS eReferral Service, which is our preferred option.
Important note: Please ensure you download the forms relevant to the service you’re seeking - for example, if you are seeking help via our adult service, download the adult referral form.
Adult ADHD information pack.
A convenient download that includes:
A GP letter template with the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS)
The NHS Right to Choose GP adult referral form
NHS Choice in Mental Health Care documentation
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Most NHS patients referred to Care ADHD can access our services in line with the arrangements agreed with their local NHS commissioner.
However, some Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) have introduced additional restrictions on new ADHD referrals, assessments or treatment pathways. These restrictions apply across providers and are not unique to Care ADHD.
The position varies between areas and can change over time as local NHS organisations review capacity, funding and commissioning arrangements.
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We believe patients should be able to access timely, high-quality ADHD services and that people should be able to make informed choices about their care.
Where restrictions are introduced, we engage constructively with ICBs to understand the rationale for the changes and whether there are opportunities to improve access for patients.
We have also raised concerns where we believe restrictions may have implications for patient rights under the NHS constitution in relation to choice, waiting times and access to care. These discussions are ongoing.
Our priority remains working collaboratively with commissioners while continuing to advocate for patients who need support.
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The position is subject to change and we will update this page as information becomes available.
At the time of writing, the following areas have introduced significant restrictions affecting access to new Adult ADHD assessments or treatment pathways:
West and North London ICB
Greater Manchester ICB
Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB
Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB
West Yorkshire ICB
North East and North Cumbria ICB
Somerset ICB
In these areas, restrictions may affect the ability of some patients to access assessments or treatment through standard referral routes.
Areas currently subject to some restrictions:Thames Valley ICB
The nature of restrictions can differ between areas and may change over time. The commissioning position for ADHD services is evolving rapidly across England and local arrangements can change at short notice.
We will continue to engage constructively with NHS commissioners, advocate for improvements in patient access where appropriate.
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In all of the areas listed under the previous question, arrangements may exist for patients with particularly urgent clinical needs or higher levels of risk.
Eligibility and pathways vary by commissioner, but we continue to work with ICBs to ensure that patients with the greatest clinical need can access appropriate support.
If you believe your circumstances have changed or your needs have become more urgent, please speak to your GP or referring clinician, or let our team know.
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Patients have the right to raise concerns, ask questions or seek clarification from their local NHS commissioner regarding the services available in their area.
If you would like independent information about access to ADHD services, waiting times or patient rights, ADHD UK provides guidance and resources that may be helpful.
Please note that Care ADHD is not responsible for the content of external websites and cannot provide legal advice.