Last updated: 15th November 2024
Good News!
Right to Choose means that you have a legal choice about which provider you decide should carry out an assessment. This assessment will not cost you anything, it is paid for by the NHS.
At least one part of our assessment needs to be carried out face-to-face. Many years of experience have shown us that if your child is a ‘masker,’ a face-to-face appointment will give us a much better opportunity to assess them and, in turn, provide a more accurate diagnosis. We, like many providers of autism assessments, use the ADOS as part of our assessment process. Sometimes, though, it can be necessary to spend a little longer with a child in a less structured and informal setting to get a more accurate picture of their presentation.
These appointments can be offered at our Norwich clinic.
How does Right to Choose work?
If you live in the Norfolk and Waveney area and have a Norfolk GP, they will already have been provided with the appropriate referral form and, once completed, this form will be sent directly to us.
If you live outside of Norfolk and Waveney, your GP will need to contact us about a possible referral, and we will explain our process to them.
The email address for this service is [email protected].
PLEASE NOTE – This email address can only accept referrals from your GP. We cannot respond to initial enquiries from parents. The service is live from 1st November for your GP to begin referrals from.
Once we receive your referral, one of our team will contact you, either by telephone or email, to discuss your referral with you. You will be asked to complete several comprehensive screening documents, and you can also forward any reports you may already have from other professionals involved in your child’s care.
Once our team has received this information, your referral will be taken to a referrals meeting, where a group of clinicians will decide whether we can accept your child for an assessment.
If we do not feel this is appropriate, we will ensure that your GP is informed, and you will be signposted to other services.
If we accept your referral, you will then be offered an appointment, and we will carry out a full NICE-compliant assessment.
If your child has an ADHD assessment and you wish to discuss the possibility of medication, this can be arranged, but please note that this service is only available for those patients with a Norfolk and Waveney GP.
Our team can prescribe and provide follow-up to ensure that the medication and dose suit your child. Once this has taken place, your child’s GP would then take over the prescribing.
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