NHS-funded ADHD assessment and treatment for adults in England
College Health is an NHS Preferred Accredited Provider for ADHD Diagnostic & Treatment Pathways, accredited under Kent & Medway ICB and accepting referrals from anywhere in England. Ask your GP to refer you under NHS Right to Choose — there is no cost to you.
✓ Accredited under Kent & Medway ICB
✓ Free at the point of use
✓ No shared care needed
✓ Adults aged 18+
ADHD Diagnostic & Treatment Pathways
Accredited under Kent & Medway Integrated Care Board for NHS ADHD diagnostic and treatment pathways, delivered within the NHS framework and to NICE clinical guidance.
- Assessment, diagnosis and treatment
- Delivered under an NHS Standard Contract
- GP referrals accepted from any ICB in England
- This is NHS care — not private care
At a glance
What College Health offers adults with ADHD
One pathway, from first referral through to diagnosis, treatment and ongoing review — all funded by the NHS.
NHS Accredited
An accredited provider for NHS ADHD diagnostic and treatment pathways, working to NICE guidance.
Shorter waits
Right to Choose can offer an alternative route where local NHS waiting lists run into years.
Treatment, not just a label
Where clinically appropriate we start and stabilise medication — we don't stop at the diagnosis.
No shared care needed
We handle prescribing and annual reviews ourselves— no shared care agreement needed, so referrals don't stall.
Our NHS status
An NHS Accredited Provider for ADHD Diagnostic & Treatment Pathways
College Health is an preferred accredited provider under Kent & Medway Integrated Care Board for NHS ADHD diagnostic assessment and pharmacological treatment. That accreditation is what makes you eligible to choose us under NHS Right to Choose — and it's why your assessment and treatment cost you nothing.
You do not need to live in Kent or Medway. Because Right to Choose is a national legal right, we accept GP referrals for adult ADHD from any ICB area in England.
What accreditation means for you
1. We are accredited under Kent & Medway ICB and hold an NHS Standard Contract for adult ADHD assessment and treatment — a legal requirement for any Right to Choose provider.
2. Our service is consultant-led, as Right to Choose requires for mental health pathways.
3. We assess and treat to NICE clinical guidance (NG87), with the same standards expected anywhere in the NHS.
4. We meet Kent & Medway ICB's quality and service standards, including governance and ongoing monitoring responsibilities.
5. Your GP does not need to ask anyone's permission to refer you. No prior approval from your ICB is required.
This is NHS care
Right to Choose is not private healthcare and it is not a way to jump a queue. It is a legal right, set out in the NHS Constitution, to choose who provides your first specialist outpatient appointment.
Because College Health is an accredited NHS provider, choosing us means your assessment, your diagnosis and your treatment are all funded by the NHS. You will never be asked to pay for your care, and you will never be asked for card details.
Prescription charges still apply in the normal way, exactly as they would with any other NHS service.
Your pathway
Five steps from "I think this might be me" to treatment
Each stage is set out below so you know what happens, what we need from you, and what comes next. Nothing here is a surprise.
Talk to your GP
Book an appointment and explain how ADHD symptoms affect your work, study, relationships and daily life. Taking written examples helps. Your GP decides whether a specialist assessment is clinically appropriate.
Name College Health on the referral
Ask to be referred to College Health under NHS Right to Choose. Download our referral letter and take it with you — it explains the pathway to your GP and gives them everything they need to send the referral.
Complete your pre-assessment forms
Once we receive and accept your referral, we'll contact you. You'll complete questionnaires about your symptoms, your history and how they affect your functioning, including forms for someone who knew you as a child. We can't book your appointment until these are back, so this is the step worth doing early.
Attend your assessment (face to face or virtual)
A detailed clinical interview with one of our consultant psychiatrists or specialist clinicians, covering childhood history, current symptoms and their impact. A diagnosis isn't guaranteed — if ADHD isn't the answer, we'll tell you what we think is, and write to your GP.
Start treatment and stabilise
If you're diagnosed and medication is right for you, we begin titration — starting low and adjusting until we find the dose that controls your symptoms with the fewest side effects. Once you're stable, we will write to your GP to seek a shared care agreement. We will continue to prescribe and review you.
NHS Right to Choose
Your legal right, in plain English
If you're registered with a GP in England and your GP agrees you need an ADHD assessment, you have the legal right to choose which NHS-accredited provider carries it out. You don't have to accept your local waiting list.
Right to Choose applies when
- You are registered with a GP practice in England
- Your GP is making an elective referral for a first outpatient appointment
- Your GP agrees the referral is clinically appropriate
- The service is led by a consultant or a mental health professional
- The provider holds an NHS Standard Contract for that service — as College Health does
Right to Choose does not apply if you
- Have referred yourself — the referral must come from your GP
- Are already receiving care after an elective referral for the same condition
- Are accessing urgent, emergency or crisis care
- Are being referred to a service commissioned by a local authority or delivered through primary care
- Are serving as a member of the armed forces
- Are in prison, or detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 or in a secure setting
Transparency
Current waiting times
We publish our waits and update them regularly. We would rather tell you an uncomfortable number than an optimistic one. As we are a new provider we do not have this data yet, but we will update this page once our Right to Choose pathway has been open for 8 weeks.
| Stage | What it covers | Indicative wait |
|---|---|---|
| Referral acknowledged | Confirmation by SMS or email that we've received your GP's referral | 5 working days |
| Adult ADHD assessment | Your full diagnostic appointment, once pre-assessment forms are returned | 4-6 weeks |
| Start of titration | First medication, where clinically appropriate after diagnosis | 2-4 weeks |
| Annual review | Ongoing review once your treatment is stable | Every 12 months |
Indicative and subject to change. Last updated: 1st Aug 2026. Times start from the date we accept your referral, not the date you saw your GP.
Information for GPs
Referring a patient to College Health
College Health is accredited under Kent & Medway ICB for NHS ADHD diagnostic and treatment pathways, and accepts Right to Choose referrals for adults aged 18+ from any ICB area in England.
✓ No prior ICB approval needed
✓ Refer via e-RS or secure email
✓ Consultant-led assessment
✓ No shared care required
Your practice is not asked to enter shared care
College Health manages both the patient's prescribing, monitoring and annual review. There is no shared care agreement to sign, no transfer of prescribing responsibility, and no controlled-drug governance burden passed back to you. If your practice has a policy of declining shared care for ADHD, that policy is not a barrier to referring here.
Name College Health on the referral form where your patient has exercised their right to choose and the referral is clinically appropriate. We write to you at diagnosis and again once treatment is stable, so the patient's record stays complete.
Send referrals to
NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS)
or secure email: kmicb.adhd.collegehealth@nhs.net
Referral enquiries (professionals)
kmicb.adhd.collegehealth@nhs.net
Questions
Frequently asked questions
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No. Because College Health is an NHS Accredited Provider, your assessment, diagnosis and treatment are funded by the NHS. We will never ask you for payment or card details. Standard NHS prescription charges apply in the usual way, and you may be exempt.
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No. Right to Choose referrals must come from your GP. If you contact us directly without a GP referral, we won't be able to add you to the pathway. The fastest thing you can do is book a GP appointment and take our referral letter with you.
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This is common and usually solvable. Take our referral letter to your appointment — it explains the pathway, names College Health, and gives your GP the practical detail they need. It's worth knowing that no ICB approval or Individual Funding Request is needed, and that whether we're commissioned locally doesn't affect your right to choose. If your GP declines for a clinical reason, that's their call to make.
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A detailed clinical interview with a consultant psychiatrist or specialist clinician, usually lasting around 60 minutes. We'll go through your current symptoms, your childhood history, and how ADHD affects your day-to-day functioning, alongside the questionnaires you completed beforehand. You'll get a clear explanation of the outcome and a written report.
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A diagnosis isn't guaranteed, and that's not a wasted appointment. Your clinician may identify a different condition, or find that your difficulties come from a combination of factors. Either way you'll receive a clear explanation, a written report, and we'll write to your GP with recommendations for what should happen next.
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Titration means starting ADHD medication at a low dose and adjusting it gradually until we find the balance that gives you the best symptom control with the fewest side effects. Everyone responds differently, so this can't be rushed. Your prescriber stays in contact throughout and makes small changes as needed.
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A self-report scale covering your ADHD symptoms, screening for depression and anxiety, a functional impairment questionnaire, and informant forms for someone who knew you as a child and someone who knows you as an adult. If there's nobody who knew you as a child, tell us — we have an alternative form. We cannot book your appointment until these are returned, so please do them as soon as they arrive.
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No. This is one of the main things that sets College Health apart. Many ADHD services hand prescribing back to your GP once you're stable, which means your treatment depends on your practice agreeing to a shared care agreement — and a lot of practices now decline. We manage prescribing and annual reviews ourselves for the life of your treatment, so there's nothing for your GP to sign and nothing that can stall.
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Yes. Your GP can still refer you under Right to Choose. You'll need an appointment with one of our clinicians to review your diagnosis, your current difficulties and any previous treatment, so we can make sure your treatment is optimised.
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Our ADHD pathway is for adults aged 18 and over. For anything outside that, please speak to your GP about the services available in your area.
Waiting Well
Looking after yourself while you wait
Waiting is hard, and it isn't your fault. These are small things that genuinely help in the meantime.
Talk to someone
Tell your GP if your symptoms change or get worse
Share how you're feeling with someone you trust
Consider a local support group or online community
Support your mental health
Keep a regular routine where you can
Protect sleep, food and activity patterns
Break tasks into smaller, manageable steps
Be kind to yourself
Practical strategies
Use reminders, lists and planners
Take regular breaks when you feel overwhelmed
Create a calm, low-stimulation space where possible
Gentle exercise and time outdoors help
If you need help now
Contact your GP urgently if your mental health worsens significantly, you feel unable to cope, or you experience thoughts of harming yourself. You can also call NHS 111 and select option 2 for urgent mental health support, or contact your local crisis team. In an emergency, call 999.
Ready to start?
Download your referral letter, take it to your GP, and ask to be referred to College Health under NHS Right to Choose. That's the whole first step.
Referrals must come from your GP. Please do not contact the service to chase a referral — we will contact you once it is received.
The provider ID for College Health Limited is 1-199807916.