How to ask your GP for a Right to Choose ADHD referral (free letter template)

Asking your GP about ADHD can feel daunting, especially if you’ve spent years assuming the problem was you. Going in prepared helps: you’ll explain things more clearly, and your GP gets what they need to make a decision. This guide covers what Right to Choose is, what to say, and a letter you can copy and edit.

What Right to Choose is, and who it’s for

Right to Choose is a legal right, set out in the NHS Choice Framework. When your GP refers you, it lets you choose an NHS-contracted provider for your first outpatient appointment. For ADHD, that means you can ask to be assessed by a provider such as Rainbow instead of only your local service.

Guidance from integrated care boards (ICBs), the NHS bodies that plan and pay for local services, sets out who it applies to. Generally, you need to be:

• registered with a GP in England
• referred for the first time, and not already under an NHS ADHD service for the same condition
• asking for a first assessment, not a second opinion
• referred by a GP who agrees a referral is clinically appropriate
• choosing a provider that holds a relevant NHS contract

Two rules catch people out:

• Self-referral isn’t Right to Choose. The referral has to come from your GP or another eligible referrer.
• You usually can’t switch once you’ve accepted your local pathway. If you’re unsure where you stand, ask your GP or ICB.

You can read the details in the ICB guidance from Humber & North Yorkshire (PDF), West Yorkshire and Surrey and Sussex.

Rainbow’s Right to Choose service is for adults aged 18 and over. For under-18s, the NHS route is usually through CAMHS or community paediatrics, and your GP can advise. Rainbow also offers private assessments for children and young people aged 6–17.

Before your appointment

Your GP will want to understand how long things have been going on and how much they affect you. Before you go:

• Write down examples from childhood and now. ADHD involves inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity, and it starts in childhood. Note what you remember from school as well as what happens today.
• Show the impact in at least two areas of your life, such as work, study, relationships or home.
• Bring school reports if you have them.
• Try our 60-second self-check. It’s an optional adult screening tool, not a diagnosis, but it can help you put things into words.

Our guide to common ADHD symptoms may help you spot examples. If you’re a woman, ADHD in women covers signs that are often missed.

What to say to your GP

You don’t need a perfect speech. You could say:

“I would like to discuss an ADHD assessment. If a referral is appropriate, I would like to use Right to Choose and be referred to Rainbow Diagnostics through the NHS e-Referral Service.”

Your GP can find us on the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS). Rainbow Diagnostics has three listings:

Listing	Service name	Location
Main listing	Adult ADHD Assessment - Adult Mental Health - Rainbow Diagnostics - X9E9C	RAINBOW DIAGNOSTICS (U7J0T)
North East London	Adult ADHD Assessment - Adult Mental Health - Rainbow Diagnostics - X9E9C - NORTH EAST LONDON	RAINBOW DIAGNOSTICS (L5M4Q)
Lincolnshire	Adult ADHD Assessment - Adult Mental Health - Rainbow Diagnostics - X9E9C - LINCOLNSHIRE	RAINBOW DIAGNOSTICS (V4E9F)

The same details, with copy buttons, are on our Right to Choose page, in case your GP wants to check them.

Letter template (copy and edit)

Some people find it easier to hand over a letter, or to send one to the practice before the appointment. Copy this template, then replace everything in [square brackets].

Dear Dr [Surname],

I am writing ahead of my appointment on [date] to ask for an assessment for adult ADHD.

Since childhood I have experienced [2–3 specific examples, e.g. difficulty finishing tasks, losing things, restlessness]. These continue to affect me now, for example:
- At work/study: [example]
- At home/relationships: [example]
- [Other area, e.g. finances, driving]: [example]

[Optional: I have tried [reasonable adjustments/strategies] which have not been enough.]

If you agree a referral is clinically appropriate, I would like to exercise my right to choose under the NHS Choice Framework and be referred to Rainbow Diagnostics (Adult ADHD Assessment, Adult Mental Health, service listed on the NHS e-Referral Service as X9E9C).

Thank you for your help.

[Name] | [Date of birth] | [NHS number if known] | [Phone]

Edit it so it’s true for you. Don’t copy someone else’s symptoms. Your GP needs your real experiences to make a fair decision.

Why some GPs hesitate, and what they may ask

• Some ICBs apply referral criteria. Thames Valley ICB, for example, expects reasonable adjustments to have been tried, and a supporting letter.
• Waits vary by region. North East and North Cumbria (NENC) ICB has set a minimum wait for 2026/27, so a provider’s advertised waits may not apply everywhere.
• Your GP may ask about other things that can affect attention and mood, such as anxiety, depression, sleep or substance use, and may do some basic checks. That’s good practice, not a brush-off.

If your GP says no

1. Ask for the reasons in writing.
2. Ask whether the reasons come from local criteria set by your ICB.
3. Ask for a second opinion from another GP in the practice.
4. If you still disagree, use the NHS complaints route: the practice first, then the ICB, then the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. The NHS Choice Framework explains your rights.

You can also consider Rainbow’s private route, which doesn’t need a GP referral. Private assessments are self-funded.

After the referral

Once your GP refers you to Rainbow through e-RS, we review your referral and tell you if any more information is needed. We then help you prepare with questionnaires and your relevant history. After your assessment, you receive a written report with recommendations. Our Right to Choose page sets out all six steps.

There’s no fee for patients accepted onto our NHS-funded pathway. Most patients are seen within a week of referral. Some NHS ICBs set their own waiting times, which Rainbow must follow, so times can vary by area.

If you need help now

Rainbow isn’t an emergency service. If you’re in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call 999, go to A&E, call NHS 111 and choose option 2 for mental health, or call Samaritans free on 116 123.

Related guides

• How Right to Choose works for ADHD
• How to get an NHS ADHD assessment
• Private ADHD assessment vs Right to Choose vs NHS waiting list
• Information for GPs and clinicians