Right to Choose for adult autism assessment

When your GP refers you for a mental health assessment, the law lets you choose any clinically appropriate provider that holds an NHS Standard Contract for that service, with any ICB or NHS England (regulation 39). NHS England's patient choice guidance says services delivered remotely, “e.g., ASD and ADHD assessments, may also be subject to the legal right to choice of provider and team” (ASD is autism spectrum disorder). The assessment is NHS-funded, so there is no charge to you.

The choice is made at the point of referral, and the same exceptions apply as for any referral: for example, the right does not cover an onward referral for a condition you are already receiving care and treatment for. Your GP decides whether a referral is clinically appropriate. See when the right applies.

The provider carries out the diagnostic assessment and issues a report. NHS England's 2026/27 payment guidance for ADHD and autism assessment says an autism diagnostic assessment service should, at a minimum, “comprise of a multi-disciplinary team (MDT)”. The same guidance says service offers “must be communicated to the patients via primary care at the point of referral as per Patient Choice Guidance”.

HospitalWaits V1 covers the 18 NHS specialties published in the monthly Referral-to-Treatment (RTT) dataset. Adult autism assessment sits outside that dataset and is not yet on our comparison tool. We will add mental-health pathway data in V2.

The legal mechanism, however, applies today. This page exists so the long-tail Right-to-Choose search lands somewhere useful instead of bouncing.

The following providers describe NHS Right to Choose services for adult autism assessment on their own websites (checked 5 October 2026). We list them as factual examples, not endorsements. Services, eligibility and current waits change — confirm with the provider directly before your GP submits the referral:

• Psychiatry-UK — lists Right to Choose autism assessment for adults on its website.
• Clinical Partners — offers Right to Choose autism assessments for adults, according to its website.
• ProblemShared — describes free autism and ADHD assessments through Right to Choose on its website.

Other providers exist. Before your GP submits the referral, ask the provider to confirm in writing that it holds a signed NHS Standard Contract for adult autism assessment (with any ICB or NHS England) and that it can accept your referral. The contract does not have to be with your own ICB.

Wording you can use, based on NHS England's Patient Choice guidance:

“I would like to exercise my NHS Right to Choose for my first outpatient assessment. I've checked, and [Provider Name] holds an NHS Standard Contract for adult autism assessment. Please refer me there if you agree the referral is clinically appropriate.”

If the GP is unfamiliar with Right to Choose, point them to NHS England's Patient Choice guidance.

NHS England's 2026/27 guidance says “ADHD and autism diagnostic reports from independent providers (including those eligible to provide services under Right to Choose) should be accepted by NHS commissioned titration services, unless there is a clear clinical reason not to”. Titration services are medication services, so that line does not settle how other organisations treat an autism report. For what your autism report can be used for elsewhere (work, education, benefits), ask the organisation concerned what evidence it accepts. There is no follow-up prescribing pathway as there is with ADHD.

• The full Right to Choose explainer — covers the legal basis, when it applies, and when it doesn't.
• Right to Choose for adult ADHD assessment — adjacent pathway, similar mechanic.
• What to do if your GP refuses a Right-to-Choose referral.