You have asked your GP to refer you for an ADHD or ASD assessment and / or treatment service provider under your Right to Choose (RTC). Your GP will write the referral and provide it to you, or send it directly to your nominated provider at your request. If you have any queries about the appointment, please contact the provider directly.

RTC providers are usually private provider companies that hold an NHS contract with one or more NHS commissioners. When choosing an RTC provider it is important to consider the following points:

Choice

Your GP cannot choose for you. You need to research the options and make the choice yourself, then contact your GP to inform them of your chosen provider and they will advise you on how to proceed. One point of reference for RTC providers is ADHD UK: https://adhduk.co.uk/.

Referral

The number of RTC providers is large, and each provider may have its own referral process. It is not practical for your GP to complete a different referral process for every patient who chooses a different provider. Most providers need a core set of information, so your GP may ask you to complete a questionnaire and an ADHD or Autism self-assessment score as part of a standardised referral. If the provider needs additional information, they can request it from the practice or by asking you directly.

Diagnosis and follow-up

Most RTC providers exclusively perform remote and/or online assessments, and the local NHS ADHD services may or may not have sufficient confidence in these diagnostic processes to accept their diagnoses. They may not take over your care unless they have completed their own assessment and diagnostic process. Therefore, your diagnosis may not be universally accepted, and you may find you cannot seek treatment and follow-up directly with local services following an RTC diagnosis.

Prescriptions

If you are diagnosed with ADHD the RTC provider may suggest medications for you. The medications used for ADHD are restricted so that GPs cannot routinely prescribe them. The specialist service is responsible for prescribing.. They can request that your GP prescribes them under an agreement called a ‘shared care agreement’. We can only continue to prescribe them if the conditions of this agreement are met and the provider fulfils the expected monitoring requirements.

There are risks associated with selecting an RTC provider. If the business stops trading for any reason, or if they have their NHS contract removed, then their care and any prescriptions would more than likely cease. They would no longer be able to fulfil the requirements for shared care and as such we would be unable to continue prescribing until you find a new prescriber who agree to restart treatment.

When you are choosing your RTC provider you may find it useful to use this information to support your decision making, and also to share with your chosen provider so that they are aware that their duty in prescribing.