Update for families: Autism and ADHD assessments (Right to Choose)
Many families have received a message from either Clinical Partners or Paloma Health about changes to autism and ADHD assessments through the NHS Right to Choose pathway.
We know this will feel worrying and frustrating, especially if you have already been waiting a long time.
What is happening?
The local NHS team for Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (called the ICB) has asked some Right to Choose providers, including Clinical Partners and Paloma Health, to pause booking new assessments for children and young people.
This is because more children need assessments than there is funding available right now. Until more funding is agreed, some providers are not able to carry out new assessments for children who have been referred to them.
What does this mean for families?
If your child is waiting with Clinical Partners
Your child stays on the waiting list, unless you choose to leave it
New assessments will not be booked during the pause, unless your child:
already has an appointment
is part-way through an assessment
already has a diagnosis and is waiting for treatment
is receiving ADHD medication or waiting to start it
If your child is waiting with Paloma Health
At this stage, we do not yet have clear information about how families waiting with Paloma Health will be affected. We will share an update as soon as we know more.
At the moment, there is no confirmed date for when new assessments will start again with either Right to Choose provider.
Sirona Care & Health, the local autism and ADHD assessment service, has said that published waiting times only apply to children who are clinically prioritised. For children who are not prioritised, they are not able to give a waiting time. This means the wait through the local pathway could be very long.
By comparison, assessment waiting times through Right to Choose are likely to be shorter than the local pathway, even with the current pause.
It’s normal to feel tired, worried, angry or upset about this situation.
There is support available to you while you wait…
Schools, colleges, early years settings and health services can and should:
make reasonable adjustments
put support in place based on your child’s needs
use the graduated response to support your child in school (support that builds up step by step)
Read your school’s SEND Information Report. This is on the school’s website and explains what support the school should provide.
Talk to your child’s class teacher or the school SENCO. Ask what support is already in place for your child and what else is possible.
Visit the Local Authority’s Local Offer website: A central source of information about all services, support and provision available for children and young people aged 0-25 who have SEND in South Glos.
Contact SEND and You, the local SEND Information, Advice and Support Service. They can help parent carers, children and young people to:
understand SEND processes and rights
build confidence when talking to schools and services
communicate their needs, wishes and aims
You can refer your child for health support, such as information from a speech and language therapist or an occupational therapist. The average waiting time for these services is around 14 weeks. You can find the information you need here:
SGPC support: Here at South Glos Parent Carers (SGPC) we are all parent carers ourselves and understand the challenges you face. We have a range of support available. please note, this will re-open after the Christmas break on Tuesday 6 January.
Email our peer supporters: reach out, ask questions and get support from our team: Online email support
Click the images below for full details the support sessions and workshops.
Our role as your local Parent Carer Forum
We know this decision is causing distress for many families. We are:
Listening to what parent carers are telling us
Trying to understand whether other providers may also be affected
Raising concerns about the impact of long assessment times on children, young people and their families
Feeding families’ experiences into our work with health and local authority partners to support earlier help for children and young people.
There are a number of ways you can tell us about your views and experiences right now:
By filling in our ‘We’re Listening’ form - this is a quick way to have your say any time you want to update us.
By completing our current Health Services Survey – we want to know how well all the different services work for you - whether that's getting a diagnosis in the first place; managing your child or young person's condition; how well healthcare providers talk to you, each other and other local services; or any other successes or issues you've had with the many different people who support your family's health.
December 2025