Psicon
Right to Choose
As a qualified NHS provider, Psicon can offer NHS assessments for autism, ADHD (or both) for children and adults with a GP registered in England via ‘Right to Choose’.
Right to Choose
Important update: NHS Right to Choose referrals.
NHS England and local Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) have recently introduced Activity Plans to manage the number of assessments providers like Psicon can deliver under the NHS Right to Choose pathway, including some ICBs instructing Psicon to cease all new assessment activity until April 2026.
As a result, going forward, waiting times will vary by location, depending on each ICB’s agreed activity levels. We will update our website with local wait times as these become available.
We understand this is frustrating but this is impacting all Right to Choose Providers and we want to reassure you that we are seeking clarification from the ICBs across the country and we will update patients as soon as new information becomes available.
Medication
If you or your child are already receiving ADHD medication via Psicon, your prescribing and medication reviews will continue as normal. These changes affect new assessment activity only.
Right to Choose
You can choose where you go for your NHS assessment and treatment.
As part of the NHS Choice Framework, as long as you’re registered with a GP in England you have the legal right to choose the service you want to receive your NHS treatment from. This is true for a range of health conditions or worries, including specific services – such as an assessment for autism and/or ADHD.
Here at Psicon, we support several NHS Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and provide both autism and ADHD assessments, as well as treatment for ADHD, for children, young people and adults. If you or your child needs an autism or ADHD assessment, and their GP is registered in England, we can assess them via the NHS – just ask your GP to make a referral to Psicon under your ‘Right to Choose’.
Our Right to Choose Services
- Autism Assessments for Children – face to face only
- Autism Assessments for Adults – face-to-face or online (if clinically suitable)
- ADHD Assessments for Children – face-to-face or online (if clinically suitable)
- ADHD Assessments for Adults – face-to-face or online (if clinically suitable)
- ADHD Medication (following a Psicon RTC assessment) – face-to-face or online (if clinically suitable)
For children, face-to-face appointments can be held in Canterbury (Kent) or Basingstoke (Hampshire). For adults, face-to-face appointments are currently only held in Canterbury (Kent).
Online assessment and treatment are not suitable for all children, and we can only provide a remote service for those who are deemed to be clinically suitable. A decision on whether an individual is suitable to be seen online is made on a case-by-case basis once the referral has been reviewed.
How to access our 'Right to Choose service'
If you or your child would like to be seen by Psicon for an autism and/or ADHD assessment (and treatment where indicated), you will need to book an appointment with your GP and ask them to make a referral to Psicon under your ‘Right to Choose’. Your GP will need to complete our referral form. Please note that we cannot accept referrals that do not come from an NHS primary care email address.
We have found that occasionally, GPs are not aware of the ‘Right to Choose’ pathway. You may even find that they refuse to make the referral. If you find this to be the case, you can let them know that Psicon are commissioned by Hampshire & Isle of Wight ICB and Frimley ICB to provide assessments for children and Surrey Heartlands and Sussex ICB for adults.
If your GP feels they need more information before making the referral, they can contact us directly on 0330 838 3105.
Right to Choose
Waiting Times
From 2025/26, NHS England has asked all local Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to introduce Indicative Activity Plans (IAPs). These plans set out how many NHS Right to Choose autism and ADHD assessments can be completed for patients living in each ICB area within a financial year.
We can still accept new referrals, and patients remain eligible for the Right to Choose pathway. However, the number of assessments we are permitted to complete now varies by ICB. This means that waiting times are no longer the same across the country and depend on the activity limits set by your local ICB.
Some ICBs have instructed Psicon to pause all new assessment activity until at least April 2026, when new activity plans will be issued. This is part of their local NHS planning and is not a decision made by Psicon.
We recognise how important timely access to assessment is, and we understand how difficult this uncertainty may feel. We are continuing to work closely with each ICB to seek clarity, minimise disruption, and ensure patients are kept informed.
Areas with Activity Pauses
Psicon has been instructed to pause all new assessment activity until April 2026 in the following ICB areas:
- Hampshire & Isle of Wight ICB
- Surrey Heartlands ICB
- Frimley ICB
- Black Country ICB
- West Yorkshire ICB
- Greater Manchester ICB
- North Central London ICB
Patients in these areas will not be able to progress to assessment until new activity plans are issued in April 2026. We will contact all affected patients directly with further information.
Areas with Other Restrictions
- Coventry & Warwickshire ICB – referrals for ADHD assessments for people aged 25yrs and over cannot be accepted.
All Other Areas
For all other ICB areas, assessments for adults and children– autism and ADHD – are continuing as normal. Current waiting times are approximately 9–12 months.
If You Are Already Receiving ADHD Medication
If you or your child is currently receiving ADHD medication through Psicon, your prescribing and review appointments will continue as usual. These changes relate only to assessment activity and do not affect ongoing medication care.
Next Steps
Step 1
Make an appointment with your GP.
Step 2
Ask them to complete our online referral form.
Step 3
We will contact you once we have received your referral.
Step 4
You will be asked to complete and return some questionnaires.
Step 5
We will contact you to let you know if your referral has been accepted and add you/your child to the waiting list.
Step 6
We will call you to offer an assessment date when we reach your place in the queue.
A Trusted Provider
Why the NHS choose us
Psicon is one of the largest and most experienced specialist neurodevelopmental healthcare providers in the UK, partnering with NHS Trusts across the country. We have built our reputation on providing high quality expert care quickly, reliably and with kindness. Our patient-centred approach is respected by Trusts and Commissioners and is a source of great pride to all our team.
Psicon are proud to be a trusted NHS provider of autism and ADHD assessments for children and adults. If you or your child has been referred to us by the NHS, this will be because your local Trust have determined that you will receive your assessment more quickly by transferring your care to Psicon. Since 2014, we have worked with many NHS Trusts and ICBs and will ensure your experience with us is seamless and transparent, and that your expert clinical assessment will be delivered as quickly as possible.
90% of patients assessed by Psicon through the NHS rated us as “good” or “very good”*
Over 20,000 autism and ADHD assessments completed on behalf of the NHS since 2014
NICE compliant assessments fully accepted by NHS and schools/colleges
A team of Experts by Experience dedicated to ensuring our service is as autism and ADHD friendly as possible
*1148 respondents to anonymous feedback survey 1st August 2022 to 31st July 2023, NHS Friends and Family test – “Thinking about your recent appointments with Psicon, overall how was your experience of our service?”
We’re with you every step of the way
Assessment Process
Your referral
If you would like to access our service for an Autism and/or ADHD assessment using your Right to Choose, your GP will need to complete our referral form. Once the referral has reached us, we will contact you to confirm safe receipt of your information and to let you know what to expect.
Information Gathering
We will send you links to some simple online questionnaires we’d like you to complete, asking for information about you/your child. We will also ask you to provide links to your child’s school or someone who knows you well, so we can gather important information about your/your child’s strengths and needs. These help us with the assessment process.
Assessment
On the day of your assessment, you’ll be met by one or more of our clinicians, who are experts in diagnosing autism and ADHD. They will carry out a clinical interview using well researched and clinically validated assessment tools and combine this with the information gathered from your/your child’s referral and pre-assessment questionnaires. Depending on the type of assessment, you might need to have a second appointment (which may be done online) where the clinician will share their expert clinical opinion, the diagnostic outcome and any recommendations.
Diagnostic Report
After the assessment is concluded, our team will produce a comprehensive report giving a full breakdown of the assessment. The outcome will be clear and easy to understand and include our recommendations for both home and school. We will also send a copy of this to your GP and to your local Trust for your NHS care record.
Testimonials
Some words from our patients
We've helped thousands of patients over the years, and here are some of their thoughts.
The centre is a lovely welcoming place and the professionals put my highly anxious son at ease.
We went to the children's centre to get my son aged 17, a private assessment. From the start the staff were informative and helpful. The centre is a lovely welcoming place and the professionals put my highly anxious son at ease. In fact he even asked when we were going back! After negative experiences with the NHS and school, my son felt that he could finally access support that was right for him. Thank you 😊
Compassionate and caring service.
Compassionate and caring service. I felt heard and listened to during my appointment, where I was able to learn about my new autism diagnosis.
All practitioners were friendly, understanding and really knowledgeable
All practitioners were friendly, understanding and really knowledgeable and informative. They managed to put my anxious daughter at ease. They listened carefully, and were responsive to what we were saying. They also gave helpful suggestions to think about with the school and within the family.
Fantastic clinic. I would highly recommend.
I chose to go here to get diagnosed privately. Sadly I have been let down by the NHS since my childhood in the 1980’s and I decided I had to go private, but I would say it was worth every penny and the long drive from my home. Lovely professional staff. Thank you.
I am a relatively new Associate with Psicon but from the start have felt part of a very supportive team. Despite working remotely, the training and support that I have had from Psicon has been comprehensive. In my clinical work I have enjoyed working alongside talented and supportive colleagues. Being an Associate has also given me an opportunity to pursue a better work life balance.
A very smooth and stress free service.
An amazing service from both the clinicians and specialists that saw myself and child, were very helpful, informative, went above and beyond with advise and support. A very smooth and stress free service, thank you
I really enjoy working as part of such a well organised service with wonderful colleagues. I am always learning from families and the team.
Amazing service with a short wait time.
Amazing service with a short wait time. Everyone I had contact with were friendly, understanding and helpful.
I've found the team at Psicon warm, professional, and supportive. Working for Psicon has been great for my own professional development, learning from others in the MDT both through working side by side in assessments and through others sharing their knowledge and experience in the reflective practice meetings held by Psicon for their associates. I find the work with Psicon very contained, each day is like a separate project, which means it works well alongside the other work I do. The pay is also great!
Finally able to enjoy life to full.
Life changing! Been able to learn a lot of methods to help with my mental health issues, and finally able to enjoy life to full. Can’t thank you enough!
Quick efficient service.
I could not have been happier with timescales, responses and communication.
Would highly recommend Psicon for any assessments
Absolutely amazing with my son, very easy to talk to and my son loved interacting with the staff.
Exceptional service.
The sessions were well organised. The psychologist was outstanding and it was like they knew me after just a couple of sessions. I would 100% recommend this service. I feel so much better and am going forward with several tools to keep me mentally healthy. I cannot recommend this service enough.
Working with Psicon has meant that I have been able to meet colleagues from a range of clinical backgrounds. This has enriched and broadened my own clinical knowledge.
All staff are trained immaculately!
All staff are trained immaculately! Very kind, very helpful. Just wonderful. I could not have asked for a better service!
We have been delighted with the service.
We had a wonderful experience from beginning to the end, great waiting times for an ADHD assessment, great communication, professional, we have been delighted with the service.
We couldn't be more grateful to the great team at Psicon.
Great communication and service from Psicon. My daughter was seen by lovely doctors under the right to choose pathway and we couldn't be more grateful to the great team at Psicon.
Thank you once again for all of your help Psicon!
An outstanding company. Are always willing to help on the phone with any questions, concerns or problems. I would recommend them to anyone.
I would recommend this service to anyone that I know.
I attended the practice in June of 2022. The practice had such welcoming and kind staff members. This really eased any anxieties I had about going to the practice, and set a very calming atmosphere.
Since joining Psicon, what's impressed me is the sense of professional community and collective support that appears to be carefully and purposefully nurtured in the team. The clarity provided in terms of work processes, areas of responsibility, and support helped me as an associate to feel confident and valued in delivering as a part of the clinical team. I appreciate the flexibility offered to associates and the transparency of Psicon's work allocation approach.
Psicon exceeded our expectations.
From the referral from our local GP, we were kept informed every step of the way. The timescales we were given were shorter on every occasion. The staff were lovely, professional and friendly.
The whole process took between 6-8 weeks from start to finish.
I couldn’t be more grateful for Pscion. After waiting years on the NHS for my sons ADHD assessment and him constantly being failed by everyone, we decided to go privately instead. The whole process took between 6-8 weeks from start to finish.
What I enjoy and value about working in the Psicon associate team: Excellent pre-assessment information collection. The flexibility of a mixture of face to face and remote appointments.
As a parent, it gave me the reassurance that my daughter will grow up knowing how her mind works
My daughter came out of her ADHD assessment feeling very positive about herself and empowered. As a parent, it gave me the reassurance that my daughter will grow up knowing how her mind works and what she needs to put in place to help herself along the way. We are very grateful to have been given such high quality care.
Excellent communication and explanation throughout the assessments.
All staff seemed very knowledge, were prompt and courteous and we were given a conclusion by the end of the assessment
Working as an associate with Psicon has meant access to a range of high quality CPD opportunities, and working within such a skilled MDT also allows for many more professional development opportunities day to day.
They treated me like I was a person
They treated me like I was a person and demonstrated they treat each individual on a case to case base using treatments tailored to the individuals needs. They listened without judgement offering to treat individuals with complex needs.
I was made to feel at ease straight away
The doctor was very patient and understanding and I was treated with the utmost respect. I came away feeling well informed and I have a plan moving forward for my condition.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended, Psicon has made what is an important but stressful journey to diagnosis a little bit more easier
We felt listened to and respected at every step of the assessment process.
Everyone whom we had contact with from Psicon where amazing and friendly. We felt listened to and respected at every step of the assessment process. We were well informed of each step and always asked if we had any questions.
From the minute we arrived staff were welcoming and professional.
From the minute we arrived staff were welcoming and professional. Thank you for listening and helping my son to be as comfortable as possible. You were so attentive to his ways and the consultant, speech and language therapist had extensive knowledge and were able to pick up on things I wasn’t even aware of. The support throughout was amazing, everything was explained in detail and I would definitely recommend Psicon to others. Thank you again.
Frequently Asked Questions
We're here to answer your questions
Thank you for considering us to be your and/or your child or young person’s assessment provider under ‘your right to choose’. We want you to know that with Psicon, you and/or your child is in safe hands – you have our absolute commitment that we will strive to provide a seamless and transparent service and that we’ll be there to support you throughout your assessment journey.
Whether you’re considering an assessment, or you already have a referral underway, we know that you’ll likely have questions for us. We’ve provided some of our most frequently asked questions below and you can download our full FAQ sheet for adults and for children.
What are the wait times?
Due to the new ICB-set activity plans, waiting times will now vary depending on your area rather than being the same nationwide. While we aim to see patients within 9–12 months, this is no longer guaranteed for every region and will depend on your local ICB’s agreed activity levels. We will keep our website updated with ICB-specific wait times.
Can I access ADHD medication via Right to Choose?
Yes, if it is deemed to be the most clinically suitable route for you or your child, then we can provide treatment and titration with medication following a diagnosis of ADHD. This remains an NHS service, and you/your child will therefore receive prescriptions charged at the standard NHS tariff by your local pharmacy. Please note, we are unable to offer a titration service for anyone who has been assessed by a different provider (either privately or via the NHS).
My GP is unable to complete the online referral form, what other options are there?
The online form has been designed to be the quickest and simplest method for GPs to use when referring someone via 'right to choose'. The online form is also beneficial because it will be processed as soon as the GP submits the form and you'll therefore get notified with next steps almost immediately. If your GP still isn't able to use the online form, you can download an adult form here, or a child form from here.
Please note that this will require manual processing by our team which can take up to 4 weeks.
I need a little longer to complete the paperwork, what should I do?
We ask that all questionnaires are returned within 21 days. Once all the questionnaires are completed and returned, we will send you a confirmation to acknowledge their safe receipt. We kindly ask parent/guardian to pass the survey link(s) to the school to complete. Where paperwork is returned in a timely manner, assessments will be offered within the anticipated wait time, from the date of the original referral.
Make a Right to Choose referral for GPs
Our online Right To Choose referral form allows GPs in England to refer patients to our service.
For a referral to be accepted, the patient must be eligible to receive a Right to Choose assessment and the below statements must be met.
• This referral is made by a general practitioner at a GP practice in England
• The referral is a clinically appropriate outpatient referral
• This patient does not meet any of the exclusion criteria outlined in the NHS Choice Framework
• This is the patient's first referral for an outpatient appointment for this condition
By proceeding with the referral, you confirm that the referral meets all criteria.
Adults and Children
