A good number of people land on this website expecting it to be free. They have read that there is something called Right to Choose, that it lets you skip a long local waiting list, and that it costs nothing. All of that is true.
What is not true is that we are part of it. Private ADHD is a paid private clinic. We hold no NHS contract, your Integrated Care Board does not list us, and your GP cannot refer you to us under Right to Choose.
If free NHS-funded ADHD assessment is what you want, the rest of this page tells you how to get it.
What Right to Choose Actually Is
It is a legal right held by patients in England to choose who provides their NHS care at the point of referral. NHS England's Patient Choice Guidance, published on 19 December 2023, sets out how commissioners, providers and GPs must give effect to it.
For ADHD it means this. When your GP refers you for a first outpatient appointment, you can ask for that referral to go to any clinically appropriate provider in England holding a qualifying NHS Standard Contract. You do not have to stay within your own area.
Is It Free?
Yes, and there is no small print. A Right to Choose provider delivers NHS-commissioned care, and you are an NHS patient throughout. The NHS Constitution for England states that "access to NHS services is based on clinical need, not an individual's ability to pay."
In most areas that extends past the assessment to prescribing. If a provider calls itself a Right to Choose provider and then asks you for a fee, something is wrong.
How to Ask Your GP
You cannot self-refer. NHS South West London ICB is unambiguous: "only a GP can make this type of referral." However good a provider's website looks, the referral has to come from your practice.
Your GP also does not need funding sign-off. NHS Black Country ICB states that your GP "can refer direct to the provider chosen by you and does not need to seek funding approval from the ICB." If a practice says it has to apply for funding, that is a misunderstanding worth politely correcting.
Arrive having checked your own ICB's list and the provider's current wait, and ask for the referral by name.
Can a GP Refuse?
Yes, but only on clinical grounds. NHS England's guidance says "the referrer is not required to make a referral to a provider or team if they do not believe this would be clinically appropriate", and defines that as a judgement about your best clinical interests within NICE guidance.
So a legitimate refusal is that your GP does not think an assessment is the right next step. Cost is not a legitimate reason, and nor is "we don't do that here." If you are refused, ask for the clinical reason, ask for it to be recorded in your notes, and ask to see another GP.
What Has Changed Recently
Some ICBs are now actively managing how much Right to Choose ADHD activity they fund. NHS South West London ICB states that from 1 July 2026 it has "implemented Indicative Activity Plans for each of our Right to Choose ADHD providers".
The legal right is unchanged. The practical consequence in some areas is a longer wait or fewer providers to pick from, so check locally rather than assuming a national picture.
Where It Does Not Apply
Right to Choose is England only, because the legal basis is English. In Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland your routes are your local NHS service or paying privately.
Even within England it excludes urgent and crisis care, and people already receiving care for the same condition. One further limit is practical: not every provider prescribes.
If Right to Choose Will Not Work for You
If you are outside England, your GP has declined on grounds you accept, or the wait is longer than your circumstances allow, then paying is the remaining option. An adult assessment with us is £650, usually within weeks.
What it does not buy is a diagnosis. One thing is the same on both routes: whoever diagnoses you, your GP is not obliged to take over prescribing, so ask your practice about shared care before you commit to either.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Private ADHD a Right to Choose provider?
No. We hold no NHS Standard Contract with any ICB or with NHS England, so we cannot accept Right to Choose referrals. For NHS-funded assessment, ask your GP to refer you to a provider on your own ICB's list.
Can I switch from Right to Choose to a private assessment?
Yes. You can join a Right to Choose list and later book privately if the wait becomes unworkable. Tell both providers so you are not assessed twice.
Conclusion
We would rather lose a booking to a free NHS route than take a payment from someone who did not need to make one.
If Right to Choose is right for you, the only thing left to do is book the GP appointment and ask for it by name.
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