ADHD screening and assessment routes in Bedfordshire
The route depends on age and the service involved. This page separates screening, local NHS referral, Right to Choose and private assessment.
The short answer
For children in Bedfordshire, the published local pathway accepts referrals from professionals who know the child, including schools, nurseries and health visitors, rather than GPs. Adults should discuss the current local referral route with their GP. Eligible patients in England can also ask a GP about Right to Choose. Private NeuroFX assessment is a separate self-referral route.
The child pathway starts with a professional referral
The Bedfordshire and Luton children's health service says its neurodevelopmental pathway accepts referrals from health visitors, nurseries and schools. It does not accept referrals from GPs for this pathway.
For ADHD, the published age range is 6 to 17. If a referral is accepted, the child is placed on a waiting list and the family is sent information about what they can do while waiting.
A parent can use an ADHDassess child report to organise examples and school evidence, but the local service decides whether its referral requirements are met.
Adults should check the current route with their GP
Adult ADHD services in Bedfordshire are connected with local community mental health teams. Public-facing referral details can change, so take your screening report to your GP and ask which local service currently accepts referrals for your postcode.
If you want an NHS provider outside the local route, ask whether Right to Choose applies. The GP still decides clinical appropriateness and makes the referral.
What is known about waiting times
The NHS says ADHD assessment waits can extend from months to years. East London NHS Foundation Trust's public board papers continue to describe an active Bedfordshire and Luton ADHD assessment backlog, but they do not provide a stable, patient-level wait estimate for every local route.
Ask the receiving service what its current estimate covers and when it was updated. A wait to assessment and a wait to medication are different measures.
Private assessment in Bedford
NeuroFX offers private ADHD assessments online and in Bedford, with self-referral. This is not an NHS Right to Choose referral and is paid privately. Check the current assessment scope, fees and treatment arrangements before booking.
Sources
- Bedfordshire and Luton children's health: assessment and diagnosis process
- East London NHS Foundation Trust: January 2026 public board papers
- NHS England: patient choice guidance
- NeuroFX: assessment appointments
How this resource is maintained
This page is reviewed and maintained by NeuroFX Ltd. Its next scheduled review date is 14 November 2026. Local and pathway sources were last checked on 14 August 2026.
Services and referral rules can change. Follow the linked NHS or provider page before acting on local pathway information.