Proudly providing NHS servicesNHS Right to Choose ADHD referrals
Thank you for your trust in our service. At Paloma Health, we are committed to supporting families by providing timely and high-quality care.
Paloma Health provides NHS Right to Choose services only. We can accept referrals from any NHS GP within England. Below is the inclusion and exclusion criteria for our services. Please read through this page carefully before making a referral.
Any NHS GP
We accept referrals from any NHS GP practice in England for our Right to Choose service.
From age 8
Fully remote ADHD assessments from a child's 8th birthday to their 18th.
No shared care
We prescribe and monitor medication ourselves. No shared care agreement needed.
INCLUSION CRITERIA
Choosing a pathway
We can accept children registered with any NHS GP practice in England. When making a referral, you are choosing which pathway that child is referred into. Your options are:
Fully REMOTE
Fully remote ADHD assessment pathway
Both appointments are done remotely via secure video calling. We can only accept children to this pathway who are
Aged between their 8th and 18th birthdays
included as standard
Medication titration and ongoing prescribing
Where medication is clinically indicated after diagnosis, we take it on ourselves. You do not need to enter a shared care agreement.
No separate referral required, it follows on from the assessment
We offer autism assessments for children from their 2nd birthday, and ADHD assessment from their 8th birthday. If you would like your patient referred for both conditions, we kindly ask you to provide relevant context for each condition in your referral.
Medication and prescribing
We provide the medication. No shared care needed.
Select a stage to see what we take on and what, if anything, is asked of your practice.
EXCLUSION CRITERIA
Children we cannot accept
We appreciate your review of the criteria, as we want to avoid any potential disappointment for families if they are ineligible.
Prior diagnoses and age limits
Previous Diagnoses and Re-assessments: We can accept referrals where a positive diagnosis was made previously (whether NHS or private, in the UK or abroad) if there are clinical concerns over the quality of the original assessment. For children with a previous assessment within the last 2 years, we will review the clinical appropriateness of a re-assessment and will only accept if there is sufficient new information to warrant it.
Age Restrictions: Children who are 7 years or under or who have had their 18th birthday or older.
Medical and clinical pre-requisites
Excluded Conditions: We do not accept referrals for patients who have Prader-Willi Syndrome, 22q11 Deletion Syndrome, Attachment Disorder, Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), or Severe Tics/Tourette's.
Mental health, crisis, and inpatient care
Complex Comorbidities: Children and young people with a complex mental health comorbidity where the needs of the individual might be better supported by the specialist services within our mental health provision.
Acute Inpatient Care: Currently in hospital under the Mental Health Act (1983), active or recent admission to Acute Mental Health inpatients or 136 suite, or active or recent admission to Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).
Severe or Untreated Conditions: Untreated, severe, or complex conditions such as schizophrenia, severe PTSD, psychosis, or treatment for a psychotic episode.
Conditional Criteria (Subject to Referrer Discussion): Further discussion between the Referrer and Paloma Health (in which case exclusion criteria may be exempted) may be needed if there is:
Active or recent involvement from Crisis/Home Based Treatment or Assertive Outreach teams
Active or recent involvement with Drug and Alcohol Services
Active or recent admission to Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit
Psychosis or treatment for a psychotic episode
Diagnosis of Learning Disability / impaired cognitive functioning
Active or recent episodes of self-harm or suicidal ideation
Active or recent episodes of significant self-harm requiring medical attention
Neurodevelopmental, cognitive, and hearing or vision needs
Cognitive Profile: Diagnosis of Learning Disability, impaired cognitive functioning, or developmental delay.
Hearing and Vision Needs: Severely to profoundly deaf or use British Sign Language (BSL) as their first language (these children should be referred to NHS National Deaf CAMHS services).
Legal, forensic, and safeguarding factors
Legal and Court Proceedings: Individuals involved in ongoing legal cases, police investigations, child protection plans, court assessments, or court proceedings where intervention is not advised under Home Office guidelines.
Safeguarding: Any active safeguarding concerns requiring a Section 47 intervention.
Justice System: Currently serving a prison sentence.
Substance Use: Active or recent involvement with Drug and Alcohol Services.
How to refer
Thank you for reviewing our criteria
Create an NHS Right to Choose referral
Please use the button below to start your referral process. We will notify parents immediately once we receive the referral and let them know the next steps.
Create a referral →Questions about medication or a complex case?
Where a child meets one of our conditional criteria, we can often still accept the referral after a conversation with you. Contact our support team at paloma.health@nhs.net and we will come back to you.
Contact support
