ASD/ADHD Referral Information

Important: Important ADHD Referral Update- November 2026

We understand you would like to be referred for an Adult or Child ADHD assessment under the right to choose.

Primary care nationally is experiencing a substantial increase in requests for ADHD and neurodevelopmental assessment. Thames Valley ICB has introduced thresholds for adult and child ADHD referrals because demand is unsustainable and existing capacity is insufficient to meet need. More information can be found on the Thames Valley ICB website NHS Thames Valley - ADHD Services.

You can see what criteria is needed below.

The current Thames Valley ICB accredited providers are:

Care ADHD – Adults & Children/Young people

MediNet Minds – Adults & Children/Young people

Ciconia Recovery Ltd – Adults only

Harrow Health – Adults only

At the moment, autism assessment services are unaffected by these new ICB thresholds so please contact Bicester Health centre if you require a right to choose autism assessment for yourself or your child.

What do I need to be referred for ADHD after the new update?

Patients will be asked to provide the following information:

Why they believe assessment is needed and what they hope to gain from diagnosis;

What reasonable adjustments/support already attempted and whether these have been effective;

How their difficulties affect work, education, health, caring responsibilities or other important areas of their life

You will be asked to provide supporting evidence, with examples of what these could be.

Employer/manager or Occupational Health evidence of work difficulties or adjustments;

School/college/university reports or evidence of educational difficulties/support;

Information from another healthcare professional/service;

Evidence of significant difficulty managing a long-term health condition;

Evidence of significant impact on caring responsibilities;

Relevant safeguarding or criminal justice information.

Once received, the information will be reviewed by the practice, and the referral will be made where the practice is satisfied that at least one current ICB threshold is met and referral is clinically appropriate.

Where criteria are not met, a referral will not be made at that time. This is consistent with the ICB's current instruction that patients should not be referred through the right to choose pathway unless at least one threshold is met.

Right to Choose

If you are based in England under the NHS you now have a legal right to choose your mental healthcare provider and your choice of mental healthcare team. This important right means that, for instance, should you decide the waiting time for your ADHD assessment is too long, then you can choose alternative providers. The provider must supply the service to the NHS somewhere in England.

See the NHS website for more information regarding Mental Health Services Right to Choose.

Page last reviewed: 02 November 2026
Page created: 21 December 2023