Hertfordshire NHS Neurodiversity Referral Service for Children and Young People
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We are the single referral point for autism and / or ADHD referrals for children and young people registered with a GP in Hertfordshire. Please see the ‘Who is eligible’ section below for information on the included age groups for our service.
If you are an adult seeking an autism and / or ADHD referral, please speak to your GP.
We are committed to providing all children and young people, and their families who use our service, with the best possible experience as well as making sure you have the resources you need going forward.
There are significant waits for autism and ADHD assessments in Hertfordshire. Your child or young person does not need a diagnosis to access support. You can get help and advice at any time during the referral process.
If you are unsure which support would best suit your family, please visit the Neurodiversity Support Hub for contact details of the advice team. You can speak to a member of the advice team who can explain what is available and how to access it. Or please visit the Hertfordshire Local Offer website for more information.
The information below will tell you how to make a referral, where to find the referral forms, and where to find support and resources whilst you wait.
The Hertfordshire NHS CYP Neurodiversity Referral Service is the first step in the Hertfordshire Neurodiversity transformation programme being undertaken by the Hertfordshire Mental Health, Learning Disability and Neurodiversity (MHLDN) Health and Care Partnership. The transformation programme is looking to introduce a joint assessment process for autism and ADHD assessments across Hertfordshire.Hertfordshire Children and Young People NHS Neurodiversity Service pilot
We're working with Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust and East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust to design a new pathway which aims to make the diagnostic process more consistent, efficient, and fair for all families.
In order to test out this new pathway we are planning to pilot it with a small number of children and young people referred in for assessments for Autism and/or ADHD. This new pathway is one part of a wider programme of improvement that all three trusts are committed to. Alongside this, significant investment has been made across the county to actively reduce the existing backlog of children and young people waiting for an assessment.
More information and frequently asked questions are available on the Hertfordshire Local Offer website.
- Who is eligible for the service
- Making a referral
- How the service is provided
- Contact the service
- Useful information
- Patient experience
Who is eligible for the service
The service accepts referrals for children and young people registered with a GP in Hertfordshire.
South and West Herts eligibility criteria:
- Autism: Aged from 0 to 15 years old
- ADHD: Aged from 5 to 18 years old
East and North Herts eligibility criteria:
- Autism: Aged from 0 to 15 years old
- ADHD: Aged from 5 to 15 years old
Under 5’s autism referrals:
Your GP, health visitor or other healthcare professional can make an autism-only referral for your child who is under 5 years old. This referral will go into the Community Paediatrics service either at Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust or East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust (depending on where you live). Please see links for GP locations within Hertfordshire under the 'Making a referral' tab.
Under 5’s ADHD referrals:
The CYP Neurodevelopmental service provides ADHD services for children over the age of 5 only. For children aged 5 and below behaviour can be exhibited for a variety of different reasons that may need to be explored. The health visiting service can support the family with behaviour concerns and environmental modifications in the first instance. This is in line with National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance.
Families seeking support for behavioural challenges in children under 5 years should speak to their health visitor. Please see the Hertfordshire Under 5’s website for more information or call the health visiting service on 0300 1237572 to get advice over the phone, available Monday to Friday 9-5pm.
Making a referral
Referral forms and supporting information can be found on the Hertfordshire’s Local Offer website. Please note that there are different forms to be completed for autism referrals for children aged under 5, these can be found on the same page of the Local Offer website.
For a referral to be accepted the service requires three sources of information:
- The referral form
- The parent questionnaire
- The school / educational setting questionnaire
Once all three parts have been completed, referrals should be submitted by the GP / applicable referrer to Herts CYP Neurodiversity Referral Service. Referrals can be submitted via the online portal (eRS) or emailed to hct.cypneurodiversity@nhs.net
Please note:
- It is important that we have information from all the above three sources
- In line with NICE guidance, evidence is required across two settings (home and school/educational setting). We recognise that some children may not attend an educational setting. Therefore, information can be gathered through alternative sources such as sports clubs, extracurricular activities or a tutor.
What to do if your child / young person has received a private diagnosis since making your referral to our service
Please inform the service by emailing hct.cypneurodiversity@nhs.net and provide a copy of the private diagnosis. This information will be passed on to the relevant clinical team.
What to do if you do not have an open referral to our service and your child / young person has already received a private diagnosis
Please be informed that any referrals that are not for an autism and / or ADHD NHS referral will be rejected at the submission stage.
In addition, please note that we do not process Right to Choose or Private Medication Requests at this service. If a right-to-choose referral has already been submitted for your child / young person for autism and / or ADHD, they will not be accepted by this service.
If your child / young person has already received a private diagnosis for ADHD or autism, please follow the steps outlined below.
- East and North Hertfordshire — If your child or young person has a private autism or ADHD diagnosis, please ask your GP to send this to the ENHTT Community Paediatrics team. This includes any requests for ADHD medication.
- South and West Hertfordshire
- Autism private diagnosis enquiries should be sent to HCT Community Paediatrics at hct.cypspecialistservices@nhs.net.
- ADHD Medication Requests - If your child or young person has a private diagnosis for ADHD and you would like them to be considered for medication via the NHS, please send requests to HPFT.SPA@nhs.net. Please note: If medication has already been initiated for ADHD, they must remain under the care of the private provider who should continue to monitor them until they are offered an appointment. This is for safety reasons.
How the service is provided
When the referral has been submitted by your referrer and received by us, we will complete an administrative check to confirm that all three parts of the referral form have been received. After our checks have been completed, you will receive a text message. This will confirm that your referral has been received and either accepted and sent to the appropriate clinical team for review, or that the referral has been rejected and state why this is.
Your GP / referrer will also be notified of the outcome of the referral via email or the online portal (eRS). If the referral has been rejected at the administrative checks stage, they will be informed of the reason and asked to send in any missing information.
If accepted, your received referral forms will be sent to the appropriate clinical service for review. Where your referral is sent depends on the location of your GP within Hertfordshire.
Find out which area of the county your GP is in:
- Referrals for GPs registered in South & West Hertfordshire will be contacted by Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust (HCT) regarding their referral.
- Referrals for GPs registered in East & North Hertfordshire will be contacted by East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust (ENHTT).
Contact the service
If you have a query regarding the autism and/or ADHD referral process, please contact the service administration team via the contact details below:
Email: hct.cypneurodiversity@nhs.net
Tel- 01923 470 680-Option 4
Useful information
Please be informed that your child does not need a diagnosis for you to access this support
Hertfordshire County Council SEND Local Offer
We encourage all parents to access the Hertfordshire local offer webpage where Neurodevelopmental conditions are suspected. This website also includes a range of materials, bookable courses and workshops which can provide invaluable guidance on supporting your child or young person, both before and after their assessment and / or diagnosis.
The Neurodiversity Support Hub
Provides a telephone and email advice service, offering support, signposting and guidance about a whole range of things relating to autism and ADHD. You can call them on 01727 833963 (Open Monday to Friday 9am - 1pm, closed bank holidays) or email: supporthub@add-vance.org
Specific information relating to a specific condition / area of Hertfordshire:
Autism Diagnosis Service - For more information regarding autism assessments in South and West Hertfordshire
East and North Hertfordshire Community Paediatrics Page - For more information regarding autism and ADHD assessments in East and North Hertfordshire
Children's services — Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust - A list of all services in Hertfordshire available for children and young people. Please note that services may differ depending on where in the county you live.
Patient experience
If you would like to share your story, please contact the Patient Experience team on 01707 388036 or email hct.patientexperienceteam@nhs.net
