Who can refer
In most of the UK, the usual route to an adult assessment is a referral from your GP to the local ADHD or autism service. Some areas accept self-referrals, some run both conditions through one neurodevelopmental pathway, and some keep them separate. The service’s own website, or your GP practice, will say which applies to you.
For children, referrals can come from the GP, from school (usually through the special educational needs coordinator, the SENCO), from a health visitor for under-fives, or from a paediatrician already involved. Many areas now ask for information from school as part of the referral, so the school’s view matters from the start.
Preparing for the GP appointment
A GP appointment is short, and the GP may never have met you. The preparation below is what turns a ten-minute conversation into a referral.
- Book a double appointment if the practice allows it, and say what it is for when you book.
- Bring a one-page summary. What the difficulties are, since when, where they show up (work, home, study, relationships), and what they cost you. Specific examples beat general descriptions.
- Bring the screener result if you have done one. The first guide explains them.
- Bring childhood evidence if you can: old school reports, a parent’s or sibling’s account, anything that shows the pattern was there early.
- Mention other health issues the GP should know about: sleep, mood, thyroid, any medicines you take. They are part of the picture, not a distraction from it.
What the GP does
The GP may ask a few screening questions, may arrange blood tests to rule out other causes, and then refers you to the local service: an adult ADHD or autism service, or for children, usually child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) or community paediatrics, depending on the area and the condition.
Ask three things before you leave: which service the referral is going to, how to contact them, and roughly how long the wait is. Write them down.
Waiting lists
Waiting times vary enormously by area and have been long across much of the UK for several years. Services usually tell you the current expected wait when they accept the referral. If they do not, ask, and it is reasonable to ask again every few months. Keep the referral date and any reference number; you will need them.
A long wait is not a sign the referral has been lost, but a referral can be lost. If you have heard nothing within the time the service quoted for an acknowledgement, contact them and your GP.
Right to Choose, in England
If you live in England and your GP refers you, you can usually choose which provider carries out the assessment, including some independent providers that hold NHS contracts, at no cost to you. This is part of NHS patient choice, often called the Right to Choose. The GP has to agree that a referral is appropriate, and the provider has to offer the service under an NHS contract.
Three things worth knowing:
- It does not apply in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, and it is not available for every service in every area.
- Some providers’ waits are shorter than the local service’s; some now have long waits of their own. Check before choosing.
- Medication after a diagnosis can be more complicated with some providers, because your GP practice has to agree to take over prescribing under a shared care agreement, and some practices decline. The guide on what comes after explains shared care. Ask the provider, and your GP practice, about this before you choose.
Paying privately
Private assessments exist and cost money. Prices vary widely and this site does not list them. Before paying, ask the provider whether their assessment follows the NICE guidance, what the report will include, what happens if medication is recommended, and whether your GP practice will accept the diagnosis for shared care. A private diagnosis is a real diagnosis, but the practical steps after it can be harder than people expect.
While you wait
- Keep a dated log of examples. It will be useful on the day, and it is easy to forget the bad weeks once they pass.
- Tell work, college or school what would help now. Adjustments do not legally require a diagnosis, and many employers and institutions will make simple changes on request.
- Look at what support exists before diagnosis. Many services and charities offer “waiting well” information, courses or peer groups. NHS talking therapies are available for anxiety and low mood whatever the cause.
- Return every form the service sends, promptly. Questionnaires that come back late can put you further back in the queue.
The wait is long. The preparation is not wasted; it is the assessment’s raw material.