Psicon
Right to Choose
Psicon can offer your child an assessment for autism, ADHD (or both) and following a Psicon assessment, ADHD medication at our Basingstoke, Hampshire or Canterbury, Kent clinic. If clinically appropriate, we may also be able to offer online assessment (ADHD only) regardless of where you live in England. From 1st November 2024, the wait time is 9-12 months from the date all pre-assessment paperwork is returned. The 6-9 month wait time will be honoured for all referrals received before this date.
Right to Choose
You can choose where you go for your NHS assessment and treatment.
As part of the NHS Choice Framework, as long as you’re registered with a GP in England you have the legal right to choose the service you want to receive your NHS treatment from. This is true for a range of health conditions or worries, including specific services – such as an assessment for autism and/or ADHD.
Here at Psicon, we support several NHS Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and provide both autism and ADHD assessments, as well as treatment for ADHD, for children and young people. If your child needs an autism or ADHD assessment, and their GP is registered in England, we can assess them within nine to twelve months – just ask your GP to make a referral to Psicon under your ‘Right to Choose’.
How to access our 'Right to Choose service'
If you’d like your child to be seen by Psicon for their autism and/or ADHD assessment (and treatment where indicated), you will need to book an appointment with your GP and ask them to make a referral to Psicon under your ‘Right to Choose’. Your GP will need to complete our referral form and email this directly from the surgery to our dedicated NHS inbox. Please note that we cannot accept referrals that do not come from an NHS primary care email address.
We have found that occasionally, GPs are not aware of the ‘Right to Choose’ pathway. You may even find that they refuse to make the referral. If you find this to be the case, you can let them know that Psicon are commissioned by Hampshire & Isle of Wight ICB and Frimley ICB to provide autism and ADHD assessments for children and young people as an NHS provider. Our autism assessments are carried out face to face in our clinics in Basingstoke, Hampshire. and Canterbury, Kent.
ADHD assessments and treatment are available either online, or in person at our clinics in Basingstoke, Hampshire and Canterbury, Kent. Online assessment and treatment is not suitable for all children, and we can only provide a remote service for those who are deemed to be clinically suitable. A decision on whether an individual child is suitable to be seen online is made on a case-by-case basis once the referral has been reviewed.
If your GP feels they need more information before making the referral, they can contact us directly on 01227 379099.
Next Steps
Step 1
Make an appointment with your GP.
Step 2
Download our referral form and give this to your GP to complete.
Step 3
We will contact you once we have received your referral.
Step 4
You will be asked to complete and return some pre-assessment questionnaires.
Step 5
We will contact you to let you know if your referral has been accepted and add your child to the waiting list.
Step 6
We will offer you an assessment date typically within 9-12 months from your referral being accepted.
A Trusted Provider
Why the NHS choose us
Psicon is one of the largest and most experienced specialist neurodevelopmental healthcare providers in the UK, partnering with NHS Trusts across the country. We have built our reputation on providing high quality expert care quickly, reliably and with kindness. Our patient-centred approach is respected by Trusts and Commissioners and is a source of great pride to all our team.
Psicon are proud to be a trusted NHS provider of autism and ADHD assessments for children and adults. If you or your child has been referred to us by the NHS, this will be because your local Trust have determined that you will receive your assessment more quickly by transferring your care to Psicon. Since 2014, we have worked with many NHS Trusts and ICBs and will ensure your experience with us is seamless and transparent, and that your expert clinical assessment will be delivered as quickly as possible.
90% of patients assessed by Psicon through the NHS rated us as “good” or “very good”*
Over 18,000 autism and ADHD assessments completed on behalf of the NHS since 2014
NICE compliant assessments fully accepted by NHS and schools/colleges
A team of Experts by Experience dedicated to ensuring our service is as autism and ADHD friendly as possible.
*1148 respondents to anonymous feedback survey 1st August 2022 to 31st July 2023, NHS Friends and Family test – “Thinking about your recent appointments with Psicon, overall how was your experience of our service?”
We’re with you every step of the way
Assessment Process
Your referral
If you would like to access our service for an Autism and/or ADHD assessment using your Right to Choose, your GP will need to complete our referral form. Once the referral has reached us, we will contact you to confirm safe receipt of your information and to let you know what to expect.
Information Gathering
We will send you links to some simple online questionnaires we’d like you to complete, asking for information about you/your child. We will also ask you to provide links to your child’s school or someone who knows you well, so we can gather important information about your/your child’s strengths and needs. These help us with the assessment process.
Assessment
On the day of your assessment, you’ll be met by one or more of our clinicians, who are experts in diagnosing autism and ADHD. They will carry out a clinical interview using well researched and clinically validated assessment tools and combine this with the information gathered from your/your child’s referral and pre-assessment questionnaires. Depending on the type of assessment, you might need to have a second appointment (which may be done online) where the clinician will share their expert clinical opinion, the diagnostic outcome and any recommendations.
Diagnostic Report
After the assessment is concluded, our team will produce a comprehensive report giving a full breakdown of the assessment. The outcome will be clear and easy to understand and include our recommendations for both home and school. We will also send a copy of this to your GP and to your local Trust for your NHS care record.
Testimonials
Some words from our patients
We've helped thousands of patients over the years, and here are some of their thoughts.
Working with Psicon has meant that I have been able to meet colleagues from a range of clinical backgrounds. This has enriched and broadened my own clinical knowledge.
I really value the opportunity to work with a whole host of highly skilled and passionate clinicians as a multi-disciplinary team. I always come away from a day in clinic having learned something new - either from the clinician I'm working with or from the young people we've met! I appreciate Psicon's forward-thinking and positive approach to the diagnosis of Autism and feel confident that our assessments and reports are neurodiversity-affirming.
I like to work with Psicon as it is a well organised firm with some very good appointments to management that makes a big difference. I can take my difficulties there and it can be solved. It uses an IT system that works well. In effect it can then render a quality service to the patients.
I have worked as an associate for Psicon for 5 years and have enjoyed it tremendously. Everything is made so easy for you to do your job as an ADOS assessor, and you are supported every step of the way. I have made some lifelong friends and have travelled to beautiful places in the UK.
I've found the team at Psicon warm, professional, and supportive. Working for Psicon has been great for my own professional development, learning from others in the MDT both through working side by side in assessments and through others sharing their knowledge and experience in the reflective practice meetings held by Psicon for their associates. I find the work with Psicon very contained, each day is like a separate project, which means it works well alongside the other work I do. The pay is also great!
It is a privilege to work in partnership with the expert staff team at Psicon and the child/family-centred approach to clinical practice is reflected at every level of the organisation.
Working as an associate with Psicon has meant access to a range of high quality CPD opportunities, and working within such a skilled MDT also allows for many more professional development opportunities day to day.
I am a relatively new Associate with Psicon but from the start have felt part of a very supportive team. Despite working remotely, the training and support that I have had from Psicon has been comprehensive. In my clinical work I have enjoyed working alongside talented and supportive colleagues. Being an Associate has also given me an opportunity to pursue a better work life balance.
What I enjoy and value about working in the Psicon associate team: Excellent pre-assessment information collection. The flexibility of a mixture of face to face and remote appointments.
It’s great to work in such a supportive environment. I really appreciate the CPD on offer and the chance to work with so many highly experienced clinicians.
I really enjoy working as part of such a well organised service with wonderful colleagues. I am always learning from families and the team.
Since joining Psicon, what's impressed me is the sense of professional community and collective support that appears to be carefully and purposefully nurtured in the team. The clarity provided in terms of work processes, areas of responsibility, and support helped me as an associate to feel confident and valued in delivering as a part of the clinical team. I appreciate the flexibility offered to associates and the transparency of Psicon's work allocation approach.
Frequently Asked Questions
We're here to answer your questions
Thank you for considering us to be your child or young person’s assessment provider under ‘your right to choose’. We want you to know that with Psicon, your child is in safe hands – you have our absolute commitment that we will strive to provide a seamless and transparent service and that we’ll be there to support you throughout your assessment journey.
Whether you’re considering an assessment, or you already have a referral underway, we know that you’ll likely have questions for us. We’ve provided some of our most frequently asked questions below and you can download our full FAQ sheet by clicking here.
Can I access ADHD medication for my child through Psicon?
Yes, if it is deemed to be the most clinically suitable route for your child, then we can provide treatment and titration with medication following a diagnosis of ADHD. This remains an NHS service, and your child will therefore receive NHS prescriptions charged at the standard NHS tariff by your local pharmacy.
Please note we are unable to offer a titration service for children and young people who have been assessed by a different diagnostic provider (either privately or via the NHS).
Do Psicon accept all referral requests?
For autism assessments, we accept referrals for children aged 3-18 years. For ADHD or combined assessments, we accept referrals for children aged 6-18 years. The child must be within this age range on the date of the referral – referrals made prior to the minimum age birthday cannot be processed.
Psicon are unable to accept referrals for medication initiation/review for those diagnosed with ADHD by another service or provider. If Psicon carry out the ADHD assessment, medication can be considered afterwards (if suitable).
Unfortunately, we cannot accept referrals for adults (aged 18+), for children with a diagnosis of moderate-severe learning disability, or children and young people presenting with mental health difficulties and/or risk.
I’ve returned my forms, what happens now?
Due to high demand for the right to choose service, we are currently experiencing some delays in processing screening paperwork, so please do not worry if you don't hear from us right away. Once your surveys have been processed, we will email you to let you know they have been safely received.
If you’re unsure if the surveys have been returned, in the first instance, we recommend you ask the school directly. This is usually the quickest way to find out. If they confirm they’ve been completed and you haven’t heard from us to confirm safe receipt within 10 days, please call us on 01227 379099.
Once we’ve acknowledged the screeners are all returned, they will be reviewed by the clinical team who will be contact within four weeks with the outcome. If you have not heard from us in this timeframe, please call us on 01227 379099.
I need a little longer to complete the paperwork, what should I do?
We have removed questionnaire deadlines to allow families and schools the time they need to complete them. Please disregard any previous references to a completion date. We want to reassure you that your child will not be discharged if the questionnaires are not returned within a specific time frame. Once all the questionnaires are completed and returned, we will send you a confirmation to acknowledge their safe receipt. We kindly ask parent/guardian to pass the survey link(s) to the school to complete. Where paperwork is returned in a timely manner, assessments will be offered within the anticipated wait time, from the date of the original referral.
NHS England Payment Consultation
We understand that you may have concerns regarding the recent information shared by ADHDUK about a consultation on potential changes to NHS England’s payment structure for patient choice providers.
At this stage, this is only a consultation, and no decisions have been made. We are closely monitoring the situation and will be making a formal submission on behalf of our patients and the wider neurodivergent community, as we believe any restriction on patient choice would have serious consequences for access to assessments.
We appreciate that waiting for an assessment can be stressful, and we want to reassure you that no immediate changes have been implemented. We encourage you to stay informed by visiting the ADHDUK website and, if you wish, to contact your local MP to share your concerns.
If anything changes, we will update our patients accordingly. In the meantime, our team remains committed to providing timely and high-quality assessments.