Free NHS funding route
Right to Choose is an NHS scheme that lets you ask your GP to refer you to a different, often faster, NHS-funded ADHD assessment provider. Here's how it works, and a free letter template to send your GP today.
ADHD Navigator is not a medical provider and does not offer NHS or Right to Choose referrals directly. This page is general information to help you make your own request to your GP. Rules can vary by ICB (Integrated Care Board) and provider capacity, so always confirm directly with your GP practice and chosen provider.
Under the NHS Choice Framework and the NHS Constitution, patients in England have a legal right to choose which organisation, and even which named consultant or clinical team, provides their NHS-funded care in most cases, including ADHD assessment. This means that instead of joining your local NHS ADHD waiting list, which can run into years, you can ask your GP to refer you to an approved alternative provider elsewhere in the country, often with a much shorter wait, at no cost to you.
It is not a loophole or a favour. It is a standard NHS entitlement. Providers who accept Right to Choose referrals are NHS-commissioned for this purpose, so the assessment is fully funded the same way a local NHS appointment would be.
This applies in England only. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run their NHS services differently and don't have an equivalent Right to Choose scheme. You can read more about the underlying rights on the NHS's own "Your choices in the NHS" page.
Right to Choose isn't the only route. Separately, if you're already waiting for NHS treatment and your wait is longer than the maximum time the NHS sets for your case, you have a legal right to ask to be moved to a faster alternative provider, without having to start the Right to Choose process from scratch. Ask your GP or the service you're waitlisted with about this if you're already stuck in a queue.
Before you write to your GP
You are registered with a GP in England (Right to Choose rules differ in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland).
You have not already been referred to, or are not currently on the waiting list with, your local NHS ADHD service for the same assessment.
The provider you want to be referred to accepts NHS Right to Choose referrals for ADHD assessment, and is commissioned to see patients from your area.
You are being referred for an initial assessment, not a second opinion or a repeat of a completed NHS assessment.
The process
Browse our directory to find a clinic that accepts NHS Right to Choose referrals for ADHD assessment. Note their full name; you'll need it for your letter.
Use the template below, filled in with your details and your chosen provider's name. Email or hand it to your GP practice, and ask for written confirmation once it's actioned.
Some practices action Right to Choose requests quickly, others need a nudge. If you don't hear back within 2 weeks, call the practice and ask for an update on the referral.
Once the referral is received, your chosen provider will contact you directly to book your assessment, in the same way an NHS appointment would be arranged.
If things don't go smoothly
GPs can only decline a Right to Choose request in specific circumstances (for example, if the provider doesn't offer the service you need). The letter template below already asks for this — if they decline, they should tell you why.
Your local Integrated Care Board (ICB) is legally responsible for making sure patients are offered a choice. If your GP practice won't action a valid request, you can raise a complaint directly with your ICB.
If your ICB doesn't resolve the complaint to your satisfaction, you can take it to the independent Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, who can investigate NHS complaints that haven't been fixed locally.
Copy and send
Fill in the bracketed details, then copy this into an email or letter to your GP practice.
Dear Dr [GP Surname], Re: Referral request under NHS Right to Choose - ADHD assessment I am writing to request a referral for an ADHD assessment under my right to choose my provider, as set out in the NHS Constitution and the NHS Choice Framework. I would like to be referred to [Provider Name], an NHS-commissioned provider of ADHD assessment services, in place of my local NHS ADHD service. I understand this provider accepts NHS referrals under Right to Choose and that this referral should not cost me anything, in the same way a referral to my local service would not. Could you please: 1. Confirm that you are able to make this referral under Right to Choose. 2. Send the referral to [Provider Name] using their referral process (please let me know if you need any details from me to do this). 3. Confirm once the referral has been sent, and provide any reference number if applicable. If you are unable to make this referral, please could you explain the specific reason in writing, as guidance from NHS England confirms that patients have a legal right to choose their provider for most NHS-funded services, including ADHD assessment. Thank you for your time and support with this. Yours sincerely, [Your Name] [Date of Birth] [NHS Number, if known] [Address] [Contact phone number / email]
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