Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism

Our ambitions are:

  • For people who need an assessment for Autism diagnosis to get one
  • For people who need an assessment for ADHD to get one
  • For people who need support before and after assessment to receive it

The North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (NENC ICB) mental health transformation team are working with our key partner organisations to improve the NHS pathways to getting a diagnosis. We want to improve the help and support available for people with or without a diagnosis across the North East and North Cumbria.  

We set up an ADHD and Autism group in December 2024. The group covers services for children and adults. The group guides the work around Autism and ADHD assessment pathways. It reports to the ICB Mental Health Subcommittee and the NENC ICB Executive above that.

The work to improve access to assessments and support will take time to do well in very challenging financial circumstances for the NHS.

A female member of staff with two people with learning disabilities

Our key areas of work:

NHS waiting times for ADHD and Autism diagnostic assessments

NHS Right to Choose

ADHD medication & shared care

Access to help and support

Our goal is to ensure that people who need an NHS assessment for ADHD or autism get one.

We understand that for some people, getting an assessment is very important. Sometimes it can help with getting help and support.

Across the NHS in England there has been a significant rise in demand for assessments for ADHD and Autism diagnosis since 2019. In our area we have four times as many children and young people and seven times more adults waiting for an assessment than we did in 2019.

NHS services have not been able to grow to meet the increased demand, more people are waiting, and people are waiting longer for an assessment

We recognise the waiting lists in our region for an NHS assessment for diagnosis are long and continue to increase. 

Working together with all of our partners we have an ambitious programme of work to improve our waiting times and the support available to people waiting, and to ensure that there are good quality alternatives to an NHS assessment.

You do not need a diagnosis to access some kinds of help and support.

In England if a GP refers an NHS patient to a specialist for a physical or mental health condition, in most cases patients have the legal right to choose the specialist hospital or service, including those for ADHD and Autism assessments.

The Right to Choose is based on a number of criteria which must be satisfied before your GP can make a referral.

If your GP supports a referral there are a number of Right to Choose providers offering ADHD & Autism services.

It is important to understand which Right to Choose provider is best for you as they do not all offer the same things as part of their NHS contract.

It can be quicker to get an assessment from a Right to Choose provider but not all Right to Choose providers are able to prescribe medication which may be needed after a confirmed ADHD diagnosis.

If there might be a need for medication (for ADHD) some Right to Choose providers are not able to prescribe ADHD medication and those that are, may require a shared care agreement (SCA) with your GP. 

Not all GPs in our area will enter into a share care agreement, this decision is at their discretion.
Many patients find that a diagnosis is sufficient for obtaining additional support from schools or employers, or they may not need medication at all for managing their condition.

Some patients are able to and choose to pay for medication with private prescriptions.

If you choose to self-refer to a private provider, the Right to Choose will not apply and the NHS will not pay for the assessment and or any recommended treatment.

It is advisable to have a conversation with your GP to help understand if Right to Choose is right for you, and which provider can fully meet your needs.

Verified Right to Choose providers List

*This list is not exhaustive and will be updated with new providers as and when the ICB becomes aware of providers and have verified they hold the appropriate NHS contract.

As of May 2025

Provider

Adult Right To Choose ADHD Assessment

Child Right to Choose ADHD Assessment

Authorised to provide NHS ADHD Medication Prescriptions?
 (Where clinically appropriate)

Adult Right To Choose Autism Assessment

Child Right To Choose Autism Assessment

Will the provider enter shared care with the referring GP?

Digital, Face to Face or both*

Care ADHD

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

Yes

Digital only for RTC

Harrow Health

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

Yes

Both

ADHD 360

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

Digital only for RTC

PROBLEM SHARED

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Digital only for RTC

RTN Mental Health Solutions

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Digital only for RTC

Dr J and Colleagues

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Digital only for RTC

Psicon

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Both

Clinical Partners

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Both

Oakdale Centre

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Both

Evolve Psychology

No

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Both

Psychiatry-UK

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Digital only for RTC

Owl Centre

No

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Both - F2F required for ASD

Axia

No

No

No

Yes

No

Yes

Digital only for RTC

Skylight

Yes

No

No

Yes

No

Yes

Face to face

Paloma

No

No

No

No

Yes

No

Digital only for RTC

Held Health

No

Yes

No

No

Yes

Yes

Digital only for RTC
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Further resources:

ADHD & Right to Choose referrals: Visit the ADHD website for more information.

ASD & Right to Choose referrals: Visit the National Autistic Society website for helpful details.

NHS: How you can access NHS mental health services

ADHD medication can only be prescribed by a specialist; GPs are not currently able to prescribe ADHD medication in England.

Shared care is a formal local agreement that enables GPs to accept responsibility for the safe prescribing and monitoring of specialist medicines.

*Guidance issued by the General Medical Council (GMC) states the GP is not obliged to enter into a shared care arrangement with any provider, and GP practices can decline shared care requests on clinical and capacity grounds.

If you are recommended ADHD medication after your assessment, how you get that medication can vary.

It depends on how and where you had your assessment:

  • If you had an NHS assessment (through CNTW or TEWV)
  • If you were assessed through Right to Choose
  • If you paid for a private assessment

Each of these options might have different rules about prescribing and getting medication. Your GP or care team can help explain what’s available in your situation.

NHS assessment

Able to prescribe, monitor with NHS prescriptions

Right to Choose

Depends on the provider if they are contracted by the NHS to prescribe or not (we don’t hold these contracts so you may need to check with the provider if your GP does not have this information or if it is not available in the list under Right to Choose section on this website)

Some GPs will offer shared care for ongoing prescribing and monitoring with the provider (check with your GP first) in this case your GP would prescribe the medication as an NHS prescription.

Where there is no option for a shared care agreement with your GP some RTC providers can prescribe medication under their NHS contract free to the patient.

Private

Patient will have to pay for assessment and any ongoing prescribed treatment and monitoring

Our goal is to help people with ADHD and/or autism get the support they need to live well and feel happy whether they have a formal diagnosis or not.

Everyone deserves the right help, and support should be based on what a person needs, not just on a diagnosis.

Our ambition across our region is to ensure that ‘needs led’ help and support is available whether there is a formal diagnosis of ADHD and or Autism, or not.  Having a person's needs met could include help with things like sleep, actions, responses nutrition, sensory issues and even work or educational needs.

You should contact your local authority or local NHS team to find out more about what is available in your area.

Further resources:

ADHD & Autism

Information on ADHD

Information on ASD

Frequently asked questions (FAQ's)

Last updated - July 2025

Please see below the frequently asked questions (FAQs) which have been themed and will be regularly updated.

How can I get an NHS assessment for ADHD and / or Autism?

You will need a referral for an ADHD and or Autism assessment through the NHS.  Your GP (and in some instances school for a child) can make the referral.

If your GP makes a referral, they must follow national guidelines to determine if a referral is clinically appropriate before they can refer you to a specialist for an assessment.

How long are NHS assessment waiting lists?

NHS waiting lists and times are significant, in some cases years. The ICB is working with NHS providers to do everything we can to improve waiting times.

I've been waiting for an NHS diagnostic assessment for a very long time, what are my options?

It depends on what you want or are expecting to change as a result of an assessment. You don't have to have a diagnosis to access help and support even if you think you have characteristics that might suggest ADHD or Autism. Your ‘local offer’ of needs led support can be accessed via local authority and your local NHS team, there are lots of organisations who offer support in our area.

If an assessment is important for other reasons, then you could consider Right to Choose or pay for a private assessment outside of the NHS.

If you have been waiting for 40 weeks or more on an NHS waiting list that your GP has referred you to, you could access an assessment via an ‘accredited provider’ - there are more details about this on our web pages, speak to your GP to explore if this is a viable option for you.

I have ADHD/Autism traits but i don't need to wait for a diagnosis, is there another way i might learn more about myself?

There are a number of self identification tools available which would give a strong indication of ADHD or Autism.  We are currently looking at all tools available to access for free online and will reccomend the ones we feel are reliable here.

I would like help to support myself/family member to manage (sleep/behaviours/nutrition/sensory) and don't have a formal diagnosis – where can i get help?

You can find out more about getting help on our website access to support pages

Your nearest local authority should also have some support available through their ‘local offer’

There are lots of local, regional and national organisations who offer support too

What is Right to Choose?

In England if a GP needs to refer you to a specialist for a physical or mental health condition, in most cases you have the right to choose which service you are seen by.

The right to choose is based on a number of nationally mandated requirements being met.

Your GP must identify that a referral is clinically appropriate and there is national guidance they must follow to do this.

It is important to note that Right to Choose providers are not contracted (paid for and managed) by NENC ICB and are contracted to offer services nationally under an NHS contract which is managed by other commissioning organisations nationally.

Your GP can advise if a Right to Choose referral is right and which Right to Choose providers can best meet your personal needs.

Where can I get a list of Right to Choose providers?

Your GP should have a list of providers.

The NENC ICB website has a list which is updated every 12 weeks, this show the list of Right to Choose providers that people living in North East and North Cumbria can access.

The NHS Right to Choose website provides further information.

What is the difference between a Right to Choose assessment and an NHS assessment?

The actual assessment and outcome will be similar, there are NICE guidance which must be followed to undertake an assessment, and this will be followed by NHS and Right to Choose providers.

Some Right to Choose providers offer online assessment only.

NHS assessments would usually be undertaken locally by an NHS trust such as CNTW or TEWV – Right to Choose providers are not typically based in our region.

Can Right to Choose providers prescribe ADHD medication?

Some Right to Choose providers can prescribe ADHD medication but this would usually need a shared care agreement with your GP to access the medication via the NHS.

Some Right to Choose providers are able to offer prescriptions depending on their NHS contract. 

What is a shared care agreement?

A shared care agreement is a written agreement between a patient, their GP, and a specialist (who is able to prescribe certain medications that a GP can't prescribe) and allows the sharing of care for a specific health condition.

A shared care agreement is usually made when a patient’s condition is stable, and with the patient’s agreement. The agreement allows the patient to continue taking their medicine from their GP, rather than having to visit the hospital.

Why won't my GP enter into a shared care agreement?

GP practices have the choice to enter into shared care agreements or not. This is not something the ICB can influence.

*Guidance issued by the General Medical Council (GMC) states the GP is not obliged to enter into a shared care arrangement with any provider, and GP practices can decline shared care requests on clinical and capacity grounds.

If needed, can I get prescriptions for medication to help with my ADHD from my GP/NHS?

In most cases yes. It depends on how and where you are diagnosed.

GPs in England are not able to prescribe the type of medication recommended for ADHD. Only specialist providers (secondary care hospitals or clinics) can prescribe ADHD medication.

If you have a confirmed ADHD diagnosis, medication should be discussed with the service who provided that diagnosis.

Can a Right to Choose provider issue NHS prescriptions?

Some Right to Choose providers can prescribe ADHD medication but this would usually need a shared care agreement with your GP to access the medication via the NHS.

Some Right to Choose providers are able to offer prescriptions depending on their NHS contract.

Contact us

You can find detailed information and answers to common questions about our ADHD and Autism pathways on our webpages and frequently asked questions. Please check these first to see if your query is answered there. We will not reply to emails if the information you need is available on our website.

We aim to answer any queries not covered by information on our website within three working days.

adhd.autism.nencicb@nhs.net