Right to Choose
NHS Right to Choose for an ADHD assessment: the complete guide
NHS Right to Choose is a legal right in England that lets you ask your GP to refer you to an approved NHS-funded provider of your choice for an adult ADHD assessment, free on the NHS. Because you pick the provider, it can sometimes mean a shorter wait than the standard local list, which runs to years in some areas. This page maps the whole journey in order: understand the right, check eligibility, compare the routes, choose a provider, and ask your GP. This is information only, not medical advice, and only a clinician can diagnose ADHD.
Information only, not medical advice and not a diagnosis. Right to Choose is an England-only right. Eligibility is confirmed by your GP and the chosen provider. Costs, waits and provider lists change, so confirm the current position before you proceed.
Your Right to Choose journey, in order
Six short steps, from understanding the right to asking your GP. Each links a focused page or free tool.
- 1
Understand what Right to Choose is
A plain-English explainer of the legal right, who it is for, and how the referral works step by step.
Read the explainer - 2
Check if you are likely eligible
A quick checklist for England that indicates whether you are likely eligible and what to do next. Your GP and provider confirm it.
Open the eligibility checker - 3
Compare it with private and the NHS waitlist
See the three routes side by side on cost, wait and referral so you can choose with open eyes.
Compare the three routes - 4
See typical cost and wait together
The cost-and-wait tool puts realistic, sourced figures for all three routes in one view, not one or the other.
Open the cost and wait tool - 5
Choose a provider
What to look for in an approved provider: qualifications, regulation, the assessment itself, and aftercare with your GP.
How to find a provider - 6
Ask your GP, word for word
A free copy-paste letter and a spoken script to request your Right to Choose referral by named provider.
Get the GP letter template
Why this route matters
Waits for an adult ADHD assessment on the standard NHS list have grown long in many parts of England, reaching several years in some areas. NHS Right to Choose is the route most people are never told about. Because the law lets you choose an NHS-contracted provider for a routine first appointment, you can sometimes reach an assessment sooner, while it stays free on the NHS. The legal basis is set out by NHS England in the NHS Choice Framework, and there is plain-language patient guidance on the NHS website.
For published waiting-time figures with named sources, see our NHS adult ADHD waiting times tracker. For the wider picture of how to get assessed at all, start at the ADHD assessment guide.
What we do not do
We do not run assessments, prescribe, or diagnose, and we do not publish specific providers' prices or wait times unless they come from a named, dated source. We explain the route in plain English and point you to the NHS and your GP. Only a registered clinician can assess and diagnose ADHD. You can read how we are funded and stay independent on our funding page.
Frequently asked questions
What is NHS Right to Choose in one sentence?
It is a legal right in England that lets you ask your GP to refer you to an approved NHS-funded provider of your choice for a routine first appointment, including many ADHD assessments, so the assessment is still free on the NHS.
Why do so few people know about it?
It is not widely advertised, and most people assume their only options are their local NHS service or paying privately. Right to Choose sits in between: it is an NHS route, so it is free, but you get to choose the provider, which can sometimes mean a shorter wait. The standard NHS waiting list for an adult ADHD assessment can run to years in some areas.
Does Right to Choose cost anything?
No. It is an NHS route, so the assessment is free at the point of use. You are choosing a different NHS-funded provider, not paying privately.
Does it apply outside England?
No. Right to Choose is an England-only right. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own NHS systems. If you live there, you can still ask your GP about the free NHS ADHD assessment route where you are.
Editor, ADHD Helper
Oliver leads ADHD Helper's editorial coverage of adult ADHD. He researches and writes the plain-English explainers on getting an ADHD assessment through NHS Right to Choose or privately, and on the products and tools people use to manage ADHD, drawing on guidance from the NHS, NICE and the Royal College of Psychiatrists. He is clear that the site is information, not medical advice, and that diagnosis is for a registered clinician.
Last reviewed: 23 June 2026