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Important Information About ADHD Assessments and Medication Pathways

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If you are being referred for an ADHD assessment, you may decide or be advised to consider the Right to Choose (RTC) pathway due to long NHS waiting times. This policy outlines everything you need to know, including how our practice can support your referral, what limitations apply, and important information about ongoing care.

Faster Diagnosis with Right to Choose

The RTC pathway allows you to access NHS-funded ADHD assessments from approved independent providers, which may significantly reduce your waiting time for diagnosis.

However, please be aware:

While the initial assessment is funded by the NHS, ongoing care, medication initiation, and follow-up may not be.

Many RTC providers charge privately for any care following the assessment, including medication reviews and prescriptions.

Medication After Diagnosis

  • If your RTC assessment results in a diagnosis and recommendation for medication, you may need to pay privately for medication and follow-up appointments through the RTC provider.
  • If you want to obtain medication through the NHS, you must be referred to the CPFT (Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust) ADHD Medication Pathway.
  • The CPFT pathway has long waiting times and strict eligibility criteria, and you will need to be assessed and accepted into the service before NHS prescriptions can begin.

Important: At Acorn Surgery, we follow guidance from the British Medical Association (BMA) and do not enter into shared care agreements with private or RTC providers. This means we cannot prescribe ADHD medication unless you have been formally stabilised and accepted by an NHS mental health service such as CPFT.

Choosing a Right to Choose Provider

  • You must select your RTC provider independently. GPs are not allowed to recommend specific providers.
  • Ensure that the provider you choose offers not just the assessment, but also the level of ongoing care you may need.
  • You will need to download, complete, and submit the provider’s referral/consent forms yourself. Please ensure these are completed accurately to avoid delays.

RTC Referral Requests – Practice Policy

Please note:

  • We do not complete online forms or proforma’s for private or RTC providers. These forms are often lengthy and complex, creating an unsustainable burden on our administrative team.
  • These forms are hosted on external platforms, which pose data protection risks, as they are not part of NHS-approved secure systems.
  • There is no contractual obligation for GP practices to complete online forms or proforma as part of the referral process; a referral letter from a GP should always be accepted.
  • However, we are happy to:
  • Provide a standard referral letter, which you can submit directly to the provider.
    • Or, send the referral via NHS Mail if the provider supplies a valid @nhs.net email address.

Understanding Medication Prescriptions

  • After your assessment, if medication is recommended, be aware that:
  • Medication management through RTC providers is usually private, even though the assessment was NHS-funded.
  • You may end up paying privately for medication for up to a year or more, before the NHS  can take over your care.
  • To be accepted into the NHS ADHD medication pathway (e.g. CPFT), you must provide full documentation from your RTC provider – a brief diagnosis letter is not enough.
  • GPs in this practice will only prescribe ADHD medication after you have been fully assessed, initiated, and stabilised by the CPFT Mental Health Team.

Summary – What You Need to Know

✅ We will provide a referral letter for RTC ADHD assessment.

✅ You must choose and contact the provider yourself.

✅ You are responsible for completing and submitting any consent or application forms.

✅ We do not complete or submit online referral forms due to security and administrative concerns.

✅ We do not prescribe ADHD medication from RTC/private providers.

✅ Ongoing NHS prescribing can only begin after acceptance and stabilisation by CPFT.

We are committed to helping facilitate appropriate referrals, while also maintaining patient confidentiality, data security, and the sustainability of our services.