Right to Choose and referrals explained

Summary: Under NHS Right to Choose, children and young people in England can get assessed and treated for ADHD or autism for free – and you can decide who’ll provide their care. Whether you come to us privately or through Right to Choose, the treatment we offer is the same – the main difference is how any costs are paid. 

• What is NHS Right to Choose?

• NHS Right to Choose vs private: the main differences

• Getting a GP referral

• If your child’s GP won’t refer

• Transferring to us from another provider

• Switching between private and NHS pathways 

NHS Right to Choose is a government scheme that allows children and young people in England to get an ADHD or autism assessment and treatment for free, fully funded by the NHS. And it means you get to choose who provides that care, rather than being limited to what's available locally. 

Lots of families choose a provider like us because of things like waiting times. To use Right to Choose, you and your child just need to live in England and have a GP referral. 

Whether you come to us through NHS Right to Choose or privately, our assessment and treatment process is exactly the same. 

If you're arranging an autism assessment, the costs below only apply to assessment, not medication – we don't offer any pharmaceutical treatment for autism. 

• Under Right to Choose, you can arrange an ADHD or autism assessment fully funded by the NHS.

• If this leads to an ADHD diagnosis and medication looks like a good next step, we'll help find the right medication and dose – all funded by the NHS. You'll just pay the standard NHS prescription rate (currently £9.90 per item, or free if you're exempt).

• Once your child’s medication is stable and no more changes are needed, we can ask your child's GP to help manage treatment alongside us – known as 'Shared Care'. Whether the GP agrees or not, you'll keep getting prescriptions through us at the NHS rate. We'll check in with a free annual review to make sure the medication's still working safely and effectively. 

• Alternatively, you can choose to privately pay for your child's assessment and any treatment they might need.

• If your child has been diagnosed with ADHD or ADHD combined with autism, and medication looks like it'll help, our titration service will find the right medication and dose. From there, you can get medication through our partner pharmacy – this usually costs £75–£160 a month.

• You can ask your child’s GP to manage treatment alongside us (known as ‘Shared Care’). If they agree, you'll be able to get prescriptions at the NHS rate. Any ad hoc or annual review appointments will need to be paid for privately. 

Here’s how the referral process works: 

1.  Your child's GP sends us the referral.
GPs often share these in an encrypted format, so we can't confirm we've received it until it's fully processed — surgeries can sometimes take a few weeks to send it through, so try not to worry if it feels slow. 

2. We process the referral.
We'll check we have everything we need and get things moving. 

3. You'll get a welcome email with the next steps. 
If you haven't heard from us within our published waiting times, check in with the surgery to make sure your referral has been sent. If it has, please contact us with your child’s name, NHS number, and the date the referral was sent – we’ll use these to track it down quickly. 

Your child's GP can do a clinical review before referring, but once they agree a referral's needed, the choice of provider is yours. It's a legal right, and they can't refuse it. 

If a GP isn't familiar with Right to Choose, don’t worry – that’s not uncommon. It's a relatively new policy. Here’s what you can do about this: 

• Download our template letter and referral form to share with your child’s GP. 

• Share the NHS Choice Framework if they want to read more. 

• Our NHS contract details are included on the referral form on our website, if the GP needs them. 

We hear from lots of families and carers wanting to transfer to us, often because of long waits elsewhere. Whether that’s possible depends on what stage you’re at in the pathway. 

• Having paid for private care doesn't affect your child’s right to NHS treatment. So if your child has been diagnosed privately – by us or someone else – but hasn't yet had NHS-funded assessment and treatment through Right to Choose, you can still ask their GP for a referral to us. If you choose this option, please be aware that NHS waits apply. 

• Unfortunately, we can’t accept referrals for children who’ve already been diagnosed by another NHS Right to Choose provider. We know this can be frustrating, especially if you’ve been waiting a long time. 

• This applies to treatment-only referrals too (like medication management) and requests for a second assessment. NHS England guidance doesn't allow switching providers mid-treatment under Right to Choose, so you'll need to stay on the original waiting list. 

• You can ask their GP to re–refer them to us.

• Under Right to Choose rules, they can do this if care hasn't started yet and the original provider can’t see your child within a reasonable timeframe.

• This is the GP’s decision – and in some cases it might be quicker than waiting on the current list. 

Plans change, and that's completely normal – here's how switching pathways works, and what to know before you do.  

If you've booked a private assessment with us but also have an active NHS referral, you can switch to Right to Choose as long as: 

• The assessment hasn’t happened yet

• Your child’s appointment is more than 48 hours away (if you already have one booked) 

To switch, you'll first need to ask your child’s GP to submit a Right to Choose referral to us. While you're arranging this, please email appointmentscyp@careadhd.co.uk with your child’s full name, NHS number and date of birth, and let us know which option applies to you: 

• Option A – "I'd like to switch from a private assessment to an NHS Right to Choose referral. I understand that a private assessment will be placed on hold while the GP referral is processed.” 

• Option B – “I'd prefer to continue with a private assessment rather than move forward with an NHS referral." 

Once the NHS referral has been received and accepted, we'll move your child onto the NHS pathway. Please be aware that NHS assessments are offered in referral date order, so switching to the NHS pathway may result in a longer waiting time. 

If you've paid for your child’s private assessment and choose to switch, a £10 administration fee will be deducted from your refund. If the appointment is less than 48 hours away, we unfortunately can’t process a refund. 

Good news – your child's pre-assessment forms will usually still be valid if they've switched pathways. 

However, if any clinical forms (e.g. your child’s physical health questionnaire) are more than three months old when your NHS assessment is due, we may ask you to provide updated versions.  

Can a GP refuse to refer my child to you? 

Your child’s GP has to respect your right to choose any eligible provider in England. They can only say no if they don't think a referral is medically right for your child – they can't refuse your choice of provider. If you're having problems with this, our template letter and referral form can help you explain your rights. 

How will I know when you have received the GP’s referral? 

Once we've processed it, we'll send you a welcome email with your next steps. If you haven't heard from us within 4 weeks of the GP confirming they've sent it, it's worth checking in with the surgery – referrals can sometimes take a little while to come through. 

Can I get a refund if I switch from private to NHS before the assessment? 

Yes – as long as the assessment hasn't happened yet and your child’s appointment is more than 48 hours away. We'll deduct a £10 admin fee, but otherwise it's simple: just email appointmentscyp@careadhd.co.uk and we'll take it from there.