Help Stop the NHS Right to Choose Restrictions for ADHD Assessments
NHS England is planning to limit access to ADHD assessments through Right to Choose (RTC) by capping budgets, which could mean the number of patients private RTC providers can see would drop to just 25-40 per NHS area per year.
This will leave thousands without access to vital ADHD diagnoses and treatment.
What’s Happening?
Many RTC providers already support more than 40 patients per area. If the cap is enforced, people currently in care may be dropped, and those waiting could never be seen.
GPs are refusing shared care or dropping existing agreements, forcing people onto RTC out of necessity.
NHS ADHD waiting lists are already in crisis – with wait times of over 2,000 years in Sheffield and over a decade in many areas.
NHS Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) are pushing these changes without consulting patients, despite RTC being protected by Acts of Parliament.
The consultation finishes at the end of February and the changes will be enacted on the 1st April. The public are not being included in the consultation.
We must act now before this change becomes law. Email your MP today and demand they challenge these changes in Parliament.
How to Email Your MP
1️⃣ Find Your MP
If you’re unsure who your MP is, enter your postcode on WriteToThem.com to find their contact details.
If you are in Milton Keynes, the MP is Chris Curtis.
2️⃣ Include These Required Details
MPs are only required to respond if you provide:
✅ Your full name
✅ Your full address (including postcode)
✅ Your email address
Without these, your email may be ignored.
3️⃣ Create an email to your MP
You can use the template below as a starting point if it helps, but you should make some changes to avoid identical emails being sent by many people.
Subject: Urgent: Proposed NHS Right to Choose Changes for ADHD
Dear [MP’s Name],
I am a constituent of yours and I am writing to you regarding the proposed NHS England changes to Right to Choose (RTC) for ADHD assessments. These changes will severely restrict access to ADHD care and leave many without a diagnosis or treatment.
The changes will cap spending which could mean RTC providers become limited to just 25-40 patients per NHS area annually. However, many RTC providers are already supporting more than this due to GPs refusing shared care or dropping active agreements. This means:
People currently receiving RTC care could be dropped.
Those waiting for an RTC assessment may never be seen.
More people will be forced onto standard NHS ADHD waiting lists, which can take over a decade.
Despite this, patients have not been consulted, as these changes are being driven by NHS Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) rather than through public debate. RTC was established through Acts of Parliament, and any change to it should be debated in Parliament, not implemented behind closed doors.
I urge you to:
Demand that patients be included in this consultation.
Ensure that any changes to Right to Choose are debated in Parliament.
Push for an independent review of the impact before these changes are implemented.
More details are available here: https://adhduk.co.uk/nhs-right-to-choose-changes
I hope you will take this issue seriously and represent me in Parliament.
Yours sincerely,
[Your Full Name]
[Your Address]
[Your Email]
