Step 1
Download your referral letter.
We have written a letter for you to give to your GP. It explains your legal right to choose The Retreat Clinics.
Download ADHD Letter Template Download Autism Letter Template
Step 2
Book a GP Appointment.
Take the letter to your GP. Ask them to refer you to us using the relevant form at the bottom of this page.
Step 3
Start Your Assessment
Once we’ve received and reviewed your GP’s referral we will contact you regarding the next steps in the referral process.
Have Questions? See our FAQsWhat is NHS Right to Choose?
In England, every NHS patient has a legal right to choose where they receive their healthcare. This includes choosing who carries out your autism, ADHD, or combined assessment.
With Right to Choose, your GP may ask you which service you’d like to use (if it’s clinically appropriate), or you can simply let them know that you’d like to be referred to us here at The Retreat Clinics. The full cost of your assessment is covered by your local NHS or Integrated Care Board (ICB), so there’s no charge to you.
At The Retreat Clinics, we’re an approved NHS provider offering autism assessments for all ages, and ADHD assessments for adults. We work with multiple ICBs across England, and every assessment we provide follows National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance, meaning you can trust that your assessment meets the highest quality standards.
We are an approved NHS provider working with ICBs across England. Our assessments follow NICE guidance.
Wait time information & Consent Forms
Adult ADHD Assessment Consent:
Approximately 16 weeks from receipt of paperwork.
Adult Autism Diagnostic Assessment Consent:
Approximately 16 weeks from receipt of paperwork.
How we can support you
We are pleased to offer a comprehensive range of neurodevelopmental services for adults fully funded through the NHS Right to Choose pathway.
- ADHD Diagnostic Assessments: Comprehensive assessment for adults.
- ADHD Medication Reviews: Ongoing support for medication management.
- Autism Diagnostic Assessments: Clinical diagnosis for adults.
- Post-Diagnostic Support: Follow-up care to help you understand your diagnosis.
Preparing for your GP Appointment
To access these services, you simply need to take our Consent Forms (ADHD & Autism) to your GP.
During your appointment, your GP will want to discuss your experiences to ensure a referral is right for you. They will likely ask about:
- Your developmental history (what you were like as a child)
- Your current concerns (what you are struggling with now)
- Daily Impact (how these symptoms affect your work, relationships, or home life).
If they agree an assessment is helpful, they will refer you to us directly.
Important: Shared Care Agreements
Our prescribers aim to work in shared care with each patient’s GP to ensure safe and effective ongoing treatment. By submitting this referral form, you are confirming your agreement to shared care arrangements, where clinically appropriate.
Right To Choose FAQs
You can’t self-refer; your GP must refer you by emailing the completed GP referral form available above.
There are, further information can found on the NHS website under the heading ‘You do not have a legal right to choose’ : How to access mental health services – NHS
Your referral will be added to our system; we will contact you by email asking you to complete our questionnaires. Once you have completed all the requested forms, your referral will be triaged, and we will contact you to let you know if your referral has been accepted or not.
Our service is primarily weekdays 9am to 5pm, we do sometimes offer an early evening appointment, but this cannot be guaranteed.
We do offer ADHD medication, both as part of the pathway and a treatment plan. You will be titrated and once stable on your medication your GP will take over, and we will see you annually for a medication review.
We cannot accept referrals if the GP does not agree to a shared care agreement to continue prescribing ADHD medication following titration.
Unfortunately, no. Because we are the NHS autism and ADHD diagnostic service provider for York and North Yorkshire, we cannot accept Right to Choose referrals from within our service area.
Please check your email spam and junk folders, if you have not heard from us within 4 weeks of your referral please contact us or your GP surgery.
We offer online appointments using Microsoft Teams or face to face appointments for those wishing to travel to our building in York.
No, Right to Choose is currently only available to adults, 18 and older.
Yes, your GP must make the referral on your behalf and send us a copy of your ADHD diagnostic report. Your referral will then be triaged and if accepted we will contact you to arrange your 1st medication review appointment; this will be followed by further titration appointments until you are stable on your medication at which point responsibility for prescribing will be passed to your GP under a shared care agreement and The Retreat will see you for an annual medication review.