NHS Right to Choose: the autism assessment pathway
Written and reviewed by Dr Chris Smith · Last reviewed 22 September 2026
If you are registered with an English GP, you have a legal right to choose which NHS-funded provider sees you for a first consultant-led outpatient appointment. That right can apply to autism assessments — with one important condition: the provider must hold an autism Right to Choose contract. This guide walks through the steps and the questions to ask.
What Right to Choose is
Right to Choose is not a separate service or a loophole. It is part of the NHS Constitution for England: when your GP refers you for a first appointment with a consultant-led team, you may choose any provider in England that holds an NHS contract for that service and meets NHS standards and costs. The assessment remains NHS-funded, so there is no charge to you.
Does it cover autism?
It can apply to autism assessments in England — but check the provider holds an autism Right to Choose contract. This is the single most common reason a referral falls over. Many of the clinics people hear about hold an ADHD contract only; a referral sent to one of those for an autism assessment will be turned down, and you will have lost weeks.
Before you ask your GP for anything, contact the provider and ask, in these words: "Do you hold an NHS Right to Choose contract for autism assessment, and are you accepting referrals for my age group?" Get the answer in writing if you can — an email you can hand to the surgery makes the conversation much easier.
Who can use it
- You are registered with a GP in England.
- This is a referral for a first appointment with a consultant-led team, not a follow-up or a transfer mid-pathway.
- The provider holds an NHS contract covering autism assessment and is accepting referrals for your age group.
- You are not being referred through an urgent or emergency route, and not detained under the Mental Health Act.
The right applies to NHS patients in England. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland the routes are your local NHS service or paying privately.
The steps, in order
- Choose a provider and check the contract. Compare providers that assess autism on our autism assessment hub, then confirm the autism Right to Choose contract with the clinic directly.
- Collect what the provider asks for. Most publish a referral form or checklist on their website. Filling it in beforehand saves a second GP appointment.
- Ask your GP for the referral. Name the provider and say you are exercising your right to choose.
- Check the referral was actually sent. Ring the surgery a week later, and the provider a week after that.
- Wait, and keep a note. Record dates and who you spoke to. If nothing moves, that record is what gets it moving.
What to say to your GP
Something like: "I'd like to be referred for an autism assessment. Under NHS Right to Choose I'd like to be referred to [provider], which has confirmed it holds an NHS contract for autism assessment. I have their referral form here."
If the answer is no, ask for the reason. Sometimes it is a practical one the provider can resolve; sometimes the pathway genuinely does not apply in your case. Our questions-to-ask guide has a template email for the provider side of this.
After the referral
The provider will confirm receipt, usually screen the referral against its criteria, and then place you on its waiting list. Waits differ a great deal between providers — ask for the current figure before you commit, and see our autism waiting times page for the national picture.
Support after a diagnosis
Autism is not an illness and there is nothing to cure. What follows a diagnosis is support: understanding your own profile, adjustments at work, school or home, practical skills where you want them, and proper treatment for any co-occurring condition — anxiety, depression, sleep problems, ADHD — in its own right.
NICE CG170 is explicit that some things should not be used: secretin, chelation and hyperbaric oxygen therapy in any context; neurofeedback and auditory integration training for speech and language; and antipsychotics, antidepressants or exclusion diets for the core features of autism.
Common questions
- Does Right to Choose apply to autism assessments?
- It can apply to autism assessments in England — but you must check the provider holds an autism Right to Choose contract. Many contracted providers hold an ADHD contract only, and a referral to one of those for autism will be rejected.
- Is it free?
- Yes. Where the pathway applies and the provider holds the right contract, the assessment is NHS-funded, so there is no cost to you.
- Does it apply in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland?
- No. The legal right to choose your provider applies to NHS patients in England. Elsewhere in the UK the routes are your local NHS service or paying privately.
- Can children use it?
- The right generally applies to a first outpatient appointment with a consultant-led team for patients registered with an English GP. Services for children are commissioned differently in many areas, so ask both your GP and the provider whether a child referral is accepted.
- Can my GP refuse?
- A GP can decline if the pathway does not apply — for example if the provider has no autism contract, or your case falls outside the contract's criteria. Ask for the reason, and check the provider's own criteria before you go back.
- How long is the wait?
- It varies by provider and is often shorter than a local NHS route, though not always. Ask the provider directly for its current wait before you ask for a referral.
Sources
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