Independent information site. Not the NHS, not a clinic, not a diagnostic service, and not a referral service. England only. A GP, dentist or optometrist must decide whether a first outpatient referral is clinically appropriate. Provider lists, waits and ICB caps change — check the provider and your ICB before the appointment.
In England, if a GP, dentist or optometrist makes a clinically appropriate first outpatient referral, you have a legal right to choose any clinically appropriate provider that already holds a qualifying NHS Standard Contract for that service with any integrated care board or NHS England, and a clinically appropriate team. For many ADHD and autism assessments the team may be consultant- or mental-health-professional-led. This does not apply in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, and is not self-referral. (Choice Framework section 3; NHS England Patient choice guidance, 19 December 2023; Standing Rules Part 8 as amended by SI 2023/1105.)
That is the legal core. Official documents call it a legal right to choice of provider and team, or choice of where to go for a first outpatient appointment — not a branded “Right to Choose scheme”. NICE guidelines describe how ADHD and autism should be assessed; they do not create this right.
England only · GP referral required · NHS-funded if eligible · Independent
Start the eligibility check · See how it works
Written by Pete, editor, not a clinician.
The pathway in four steps
1. Check eligibility
See whether the England legal tests are likely to apply: an English GP (or dentist or optometrist), a first outpatient referral for this condition, and a provider that already holds a qualifying NHS Standard Contract. Start the eligibility check or read eligibility in full.
2. Prepare the GP visit
If the tests look relevant, you still need the referrer to decide that a referral is clinically appropriate. We publish a plain-English GP script. This site does not write the referral, and we will not refer you.
3. Choose a provider type
If a referral is made, you may be able to name a clinically appropriate organisation that already holds a qualifying NHS contract for the service — NHS trust or independent sector — and a clinically appropriate team. Compare provider types (assessment only versus assessment plus medication support) on the providers index. We do not rank clinics, dump logos here, or verify contracts.
4. Aftercare
The same provider should usually continue treatment that follows from that referral. Shared care for ADHD medicine, if it is offered at all, is a local professional and contractual issue — not something this right can force on a GP. Check what the named provider actually offers before you ask.
What this site will not do
- Diagnose ADHD or autism, or run a symptom checker that outputs a diagnosis.
- Refer you, or tell a GP they must refer to a named independent clinic regardless of clinical judgement.
- Promise a short wait, shared care, or a particular provider.
- Cover Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland as if the same legal right applied.
NHS-funded Right to Choose care is free at the point of use, aside from limited exceptions such as standard prescription charges if medicine is later prescribed. This site is not the NHS. If a listed provider later contacts you because you asked them to, they may pay us a fee — we say so on the form. Read how we make money.
Sources
Primary sources. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
- NHS Choice Framework — what choices are available to you in your NHS care, Department of Health and Social Care. Applies to England, all ages. Published 29 April 2016; landing last updated 23 October 2024. Section 3: first outpatient choice of provider and team. HTML
- The NHS Constitution for England, Department of Health and Social Care. Published 8 March 2012; landing last updated 17 August 2023. Informed-choice right: you have the right to make choices about the services commissioned by NHS bodies and to information to support those choices. The Constitution does not create new legal rights. HTML
- Legal detail sits in NHS Standing Rules Part 8 (SI 2012/2996 as revised, including SI 2023/1105) and NHS England Patient choice guidance (B1441, 19 December 2023). Revised Part 8 · SI 2023/1105 · Patient choice guidance
- Your choices in the NHS, NHS.uk. Page last reviewed 10 May 2023 (review overdue as of 1 September 2026; still live). Plain-English patient page; prefer the Choice Framework and the 2023 guidance for 2026 detail. NHS.uk
Last reviewed: 1 September 2026
Author: Pete, editor, not a clinician