Right to Choose referral problem

If the GP says no, first find out what the “no” actually means.

Right to Choose is a legal patient-choice framework, but it does not remove the need for an appropriate referral or make every provider suitable for every patient. A useful challenge separates clinical appropriateness, provider eligibility, paperwork and local misunderstanding.

Ask for the reason in writing: Is the GP saying a specialist referral is not clinically appropriate, the chosen provider does not qualify, required referral information is missing, or the practice believes Right to Choose does not apply?

Four different problems can look like the same refusal

Clinical appropriateness

The GP may decide that a referral for assessment is not clinically appropriate on the information currently available.

Provider / service eligibility

The provider must be able to accept the relevant NHS-funded referral and its own inclusion or exclusion criteria may matter.

Referral paperwork

Providers can require particular forms, supporting information or referral routes. An incomplete request is different from a refusal of patient choice.

Understanding of the framework

Sometimes the disagreement is about whether the legal choice framework applies. That should be checked against current NHS patient-choice guidance rather than assumptions.

What to ask the GP practice

Please confirm whether you consider a referral for assessment clinically appropriate.
If not, what information or clinical reason is the decision based on?
If referral is appropriate, what is the reason the requested Right to Choose provider cannot be used?
Is there a provider eligibility, age, service, contract or referral-form issue?
What alternative referral route is being offered?

Before changing provider:

Check what the provider actually offers, whether assessment is remote or in person, what happens after diagnosis, and — for ADHD — how medication, titration and any shared-care request would work. Right to Choose does not guarantee a faster assessment or identical follow-up arrangements.

Kent & Medway pathway context

Local neurodevelopmental pathways and Right to Choose arrangements have changed in recent years. Some Kent and Medway child pathways use professional-only referral routes, while Right to Choose is a separate patient-choice route that generally requires a GP referral. Always check the current local service and provider information before relying on an older pathway.

Written & reviewed by William McAllister, Founder, In Your Corner.

Practical parent-advocacy guidance, not legal or clinical advice. Reviewed 18 August 2026 against the official sources linked on this page. See how we write, check and correct guidance.

Official sources / further reading

NHS Choice Framework (GOV.UK) ↗NHS England patient choice guidance ↗NHS autism assessments / Right to Choose overview ↗Kent & Medway NHS autism FAQs / Right to Choose ↗

Reviewed 18 August 2026. Right to Choose and local commissioning arrangements can change quickly; current NHS guidance and the chosen provider's eligibility rules take priority.