Right to Choose

Sinclair-Strong Consultants is now an accredited provider under the Kent & Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB) for NHS Neurodevelopmental Diagnostic Pathway services — including comprehensive Autism and ADHD diagnostic assessments, plus pharmacological treatment for ADHD.

What is NHS Right to Choose?

Under the NHS legal Right to Choose, patients have the legal right to choose their provider for elective care, including mental-health services. Your GP must decide it is clinically appropriate to refer; practice staff or a referral-management team may refer on the GP's behalf under local protocols, with the GP remaining the responsible referrer. Sinclair-Strong is listed as an eligible provider.

Right to Choose does not apply if you:

• Have self-referred
• Are already receiving care following an elective referral for the same condition
• Are referred to a service commissioned by a local authority or delivered through primary care
• Are accessing urgent or crisis care
• Are serving in the armed forces
• Are in prison or detained under the Mental Health Act 1983, or in a secure service

Patients should be aged 17.5+ to be referred to our adult services. No prior commissioner approval is needed where a patient exercises choice, though GPs are expected to follow local ICB commissioning policies.

How to refer

• Autism — within Kent & Medway ICB: GPs refer to Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust (KCHFT), naming Sinclair-Strong as preferred provider. KCHFT triages and forwards eligible referrals to us.
• Autism — all other ICB areas: We accept direct GP referrals under RTC from any ICB area in England, via referralsRTC@sinclairstrong.co.uk.
• ADHD — all ICB areas: We accept direct GP referrals for ADHD assessment and treatment from Kent & Medway and any ICB area in England.

Indicative waiting times

Waiting times vary by ICB area and are subject to change. For non-affected areas:

Some ICB areas are currently experiencing longer waits or require a pre-approval process — including Suffolk & North East Essex, Greater Manchester, Black Country, Kent & Medway (ADHD), Bristol/North Somerset/South Gloucestershire, Leicester/Leicestershire/Rutland, and West Yorkshire. These local policies are outside our control, but we always process referrals as soon as possible.

Why choose Sinclair-Strong?

We are a long-serving, trusted provider to Kent & Medway ICB — commissioned to deliver the Kent and Medway Complex Autism Service (KAMCAS) thanks to our consultant-led psychiatry, psychology and multidisciplinary team. As an accredited provider, we meet the ICB's quality and service standards, including shared-care agreements and ongoing monitoring.