You’ve heard that NHS “Right to Choose” (RTC) lets you pick a different provider — but it’s gatekept by ICB approval, waiting lists, and provider availability. Here’s the full pathway, plus a parallel China self-pay lane for patients who don’t want to wait.
Right to Choose is most commonly used for ADHD and autism assessments — and the top NHS RTC providers are now booking into 2027. The wait isn’t a paperwork quirk; it’s structural.
A standard GP referral often gets bounced. RTC pathways require the GP to name the chosen provider, agree to a shared-care arrangement, and use specific clinical coding. Most GP practices have done this only a handful of times.
Even with a perfectly written referral, your NHS Integrated Care Board can decline funding if the request doesn’t fit local commissioning rules. The patient is rarely told why.
Outside RTC, the only NHS route is the standard waiting list — which is the queue you’re trying to escape in the first place. Self-pay in the UK is expensive; many conditions (CAMHS tier-4, specialist psychiatric, advanced diagnostics) aren’t reachable at any price domestically.
Discovery China offers a parallel self-pay lane that complements (not replaces) the NHS RTC pathway. Patients who’ve been told “wait 18 months” can run the RTC process and the Discovery China route side by side — and pick whichever delivers first. Below is the full patient pathway, NHS and China, drawn out as a flow.
Two routes run from the same GP conversation. The NHS lane is funded but slow; the Discovery China lane is self-pay but fast. Most patients on this page run them in parallel.
Both routes start from the same GP conversation. Patients often run them in parallel — RTS / RTC referral is filed with the NHS, the Discovery China route is booked if you don’t want to wait. You can always cancel the China booking if NHS ICB approval comes through first.
| Factor | UK Option | Discovery China |
|---|---|---|
| Referral mechanism | GP writes named-provider RTC referral | Self-pay letter from Discovery China consultant |
| Approval gate | NHS ICB approval (often slow / opaque) | Booking confirmation from partner hospital |
| Typical timeline | 3–18 months (provider + ICB dependent) | 7–14 days from first contact |
| Cost to patient | £0 (NHS-funded after ICB approval) | £2,500–£5,800 all-inclusive trip |
| Conditions covered | Mostly ADHD / autism / CAMHS / select psychiatry | Psychiatry, radiology, orthopaedics, dental, oncology screening |
| Doctor choice | Limited to RTC-registered providers (UK-based) | Named specialist at JCI-accredited Grade 3A hospital |
Full-body screening. 24-hour results. A 5-star Yangtze cruise. No NHS queue. From £2,499 all-inclusive.
Right to Choose (RTC) is a 2014 NHS England policy that lets patients ask their GP to refer them to an alternative NHS-funded provider — usually for mental health, autism, ADHD, or specialist diagnostics — instead of the local trust. You qualify if your GP agrees the named provider is clinically appropriate and willing to enter a shared-care arrangement, and your Integrated Care Board (ICB) confirms funding.
There is no statutory deadline. In practice: ADHD / autism referrals to top RTC providers take 3–18 months from GP referral to first appointment once ICB approval lands — and ICB approval itself can take 4–12 weeks, sometimes longer. Some ICBs are now silently refusing RTC applications to manage their own waiting lists.
A GP can decline on clinical grounds, but they cannot refuse simply because they prefer an in-house pathway. NHS England guidance says they must either write the referral or document a clinical reason for refusal. If your GP is unfamiliar with RTC, ask the chosen provider for a sample referral template — many RTC providers publish them on their patient page.
No. NHS RTC is a clinical pathway funded by the NHS — your entitlement is unaffected by whether you also arrange private or overseas treatment. Many Discovery China patients run both routes in parallel and decide which one to follow through on based on what reaches a treatment appointment first.
Anything from full-body diagnostic screening (MRI + 60+ blood markers) to advanced orthopaedic surgery, dental implants, specialist psychiatric review, and cancer second-opinion reviews at JCI-accredited Grade 3A hospitals. Self-pay in the UK often costs more for less — a London second opinion runs £400–£800; a Discovery China consult + screening fits in a 10-day trip with reports your NHS GP can read.
The free Discovery China consult can happen this week by phone or WhatsApp. Pre-op screening at a partner hospital is typically scheduled within 4 weeks of first contact, with the procedure and 5-star Yangtze recovery fitting inside one 10-day trip. UK citizens enter China visa-free for up to 240 hours, which covers the entire stay.