Proposed changes to NHS Right to Choose
Proposed changes to the NHS Right to Choose
The NHS Right to Choose has been a lifeline for thousands of people seeking timely ADHD assessments and support. But now, NHS England is quietly moving to restrict it, effectively trapping patients in a system that has already failed them. As someone who has been quoted a seven-year wait for an ADHD assessment in Northumberland, I know firsthand how devastating these delays can be.
Instead of addressing the crisis in ADHD services, NHS England is attempting to bury these changes in bureaucratic policy, making it harder for people to access the care they need. This isn’t just an inconvenience—it’s a decision that will cost lives, as undiagnosed ADHD is linked to reduced life expectancy, increased suicide risk, and worsening mental health.
I have written an open letter to my MP, David Smith, urging him to take action against
these dangerous changes. Below, I share that letter in full, and I encourage everyone reading this
to write to their own MP to demand that the Right to Choose is protected, not
dismantled.
If you feel strongly about this, please feel free to use this template to
write to your MP
Let’s not allow this change to happen in silence. Our voices matter. 💙
Find out more: NHS Right to Choose Changes
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Dear David Smith MP,
I am writing to you as a constituent and the founder of ADHDaptive, a neurodiversity coaching and consultancy business. I am deeply alarmed by NHS England’s proposed changes to Right to Choose, which will strip thousands of people of their ability to access timely ADHD assessments and treatment.
ADHD services in England are already failing catastrophically. I have personally been quoted a seven-year wait for an ADHD assessment in Northumberland, and this is not an outlier—across the UK, people are being left in limbo for years, unable to access the support they desperately need. The NHS has failed to provide adequate ADHD services, leaving thousands with no choice but to use Right to Choose as their only means of getting help.
Now, instead of fixing the system, NHS England is quietly removing one of the only lifelines people have. Under changes buried within the NHS Payment Scheme Policy, local Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) will be given the power to block patients from using Right to Choose, effectively trapping them in broken systems with no escape. ADHD UK has reported that this is being done without consulting the very people it will harm most.
The Devastating Consequences of This Change
If this proposal is implemented, the impact will be devastating for people in your constituency who are neurodivergent.
- Thousands will lose access to timely ADHD assessments, forced to wait years while their mental and physical health deteriorates.
- Undiagnosed ADHD is linked to a significantly reduced life expectancy, with women dying 9 years earlier and men 7 years earlier than their neurotypical peers.
- Suicide risk increases dramatically—people with ADHD are 5–6 times more likely to attempt suicide or self-harm than those without it.
- Many will be denied access to life-changing medication, workplace adjustments, and essential support, leaving them at risk of unemployment, financial instability, and worsening mental health.
- GPs will have no alternatives to offer patients, leading to greater strain on NHS mental health services, which are already at breaking point.
This is not just an administrative policy change—it is a deliberate move to deny people the right to healthcare, hidden under complex bureaucracy.
This Cannot Be Allowed to Happen
Right to Choose was established by Parliament and should not be quietly dismantled through an underhanded policy change with no public consultation. This is a direct attack on the rights of some of the most vulnerable people in our society—people who, by the very nature of their condition, already face barriers to accessing the support they need.
Will you stand up for the neurodivergent people in your constituency and demand that NHS England halts this change?
I would appreciate your response on this matter and an update on what action you will take.
Best regards,