If your child has been waiting months — or years — on an NHS list for an ADHD or autism assessment, there is a legal route that can get them seen far sooner. It is free, it is your right, and most parents have never been told it exists.
Right to Choose is a legal right written into the NHS Constitution and the NHS Choice Framework. When your GP refers you for your first appointment at a consultant-led or mental health service — and an ADHD or autism assessment counts — you are allowed to choose which NHS-funded provider carries it out.
That matters because you are not limited to your local NHS team and its waiting list. You can choose any qualifying provider in England, and many of them have far shorter waits. The assessment is still fully funded by the NHS. You pay nothing.
Same NHS funding. Same legal diagnosis. A provider you choose — often with a much shorter wait than your local service.
Most families seeking an ADHD or autism assessment qualify. A few situations are excluded by the rules — here is the honest picture.
Right to Choose is not a self-referral. Your GP has to make the referral — but they cannot refuse on cost or budget grounds. More on that below.
The route is straightforward once you know the order to do things in. Here is the path most parents follow.
Before the GP appointment, write down the difficulties you are seeing and how they affect daily life — at home, at school, with friends. If the school has filled in any forms, or you have completed a screening questionnaire, bring copies. Concrete examples make the referral stronger.
Decide which provider you want before you see the GP. The provider must be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and hold a qualifying NHS contract for ADHD or autism assessment that covers your area. Check current waiting times directly with them — this is the whole point of choosing.
Tell your GP you would like to be referred to your chosen provider under your Right to Choose. Many providers give you a pre-filled referral form or template letter to take with you, which makes the GP’s job a few minutes’ work.
Once the referral lands, the provider will usually send questionnaires for you (and often the school) to complete. Returning these promptly keeps things moving and helps the clinician prepare.
You are added to your chosen provider’s list and offered an assessment date when you reach the front of the queue. The assessment itself is the same recognised NHS process and results in a formal diagnosis where appropriate.
The referral covers the assessment. If medication is recommended for ADHD, ongoing prescribing and monitoring are often arranged through a shared care agreement with your GP — though some GPs decline shared care, so ask early what happens next.
Some parents are told “we don’t do that here” or “there isn’t the funding.” A GP can decline a referral for a genuine clinical reason — but not because of cost or local budgets. Patient choice is a national right, not a local discretion.
If you meet a flat refusal, you can politely ask your GP to look at the NHS patient choice guidance, ask for the reason in writing, or speak to the practice manager. Bringing the provider’s ready-made referral pack with you removes most of the friction before it starts.
A GP cannot lawfully refuse a Right to Choose referral purely on funding grounds. Stay calm, stay specific, and ask for any refusal in writing.
Right to Choose is often quicker than a local NHS list, but it is not instant, and the picture has shifted. Demand is very high: NHS England figures put the number of people waiting for an autism or ADHD assessment well into the hundreds of thousands. Some local NHS areas (ICBs) have responded by asking providers to pause new Right to Choose referrals until more funding is available.
So treat waiting times as a moving target. Always confirm a provider’s current wait — and whether they are still accepting Right to Choose referrals in your area — before you go to your GP.
For a fuller breakdown of NHS waiting times by service, see our NHS waiting times guide.
Right to Choose is part of NHS England law. Health is devolved, so the scheme does not exist in the same form elsewhere. If your GP is in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, these are your realistic routes.
No Right to Choose. You follow the standard NHS referral, or go private to avoid long waits.
No equivalent scheme. Individual Funding Requests exist but are restrictive; many families self-fund.
No Right to Choose. NHS referral or a private assessment are the usual options.
Yes, where a qualifying children’s provider holds the right NHS contract for your area. Availability of children’s ADHD and autism services varies more than adult services, so check that your chosen provider assesses children of your child’s age before asking the GP to refer.
Yes. The assessment is funded by the NHS. You should not be asked to pay for the assessment itself. Costs can arise later if you choose to continue privately, or for certain ongoing prescribing arrangements.
A diagnosis from a Right to Choose provider is an NHS assessment and carries the same standing as one from your local NHS team. It can support school conversations and an EHC needs assessment, though a diagnosis is not itself required for an EHCP.
No. The provider must be CQC-registered and hold a qualifying NHS contract for that assessment. A purely private clinic with no NHS contract cannot take a Right to Choose referral — that would be a self-funded private assessment instead.
The provider starts and stabilises medication, then ongoing prescribing is often moved to your GP under a shared care agreement. Shared care is not guaranteed — some GPs decline — so ask early what the plan is for your area.
Whether you use Right to Choose or assess privately, these guides help you compare routes, costs and timings — and find a verified specialist near you.
Compare ADHD and autism specialists across the UK — filtered by location, availability and what they assess.
Search the directoryThis guide explains the Right to Choose process and is general information, not medical or legal advice. The scheme, eligibility and provider waiting times change — always confirm the current position with your chosen provider and your GP. Right to Choose applies in England only.