2026 is squeezing RTC providers from both sides
Demand keeps rising, but the commercial ground is shifting. During 2025–26, commissioners in at least nine ICB areas paused or restricted new Right to Choose bookings as assessment volumes exceeded budgets. And from April 2026, the NHS Payment Scheme's ADHD and autism guidance sets national guide prices: £850 for an adult ADHD assessment, £1,350 for a children's autism assessment.
At standardised prices, the providers that thrive are the ones with the lowest admin cost per assessment. That is an operations problem, and it is the problem Cerebric was built to solve.
Sources: NHS England, 2026/27 NHS Payment Scheme: ADHD and Autism Payment Guidance; Special Needs Jungle reporting on RTC pauses.
Run it at volume
Referrals arrive at NHS scale. Cerebric turns the pile into a screened, report-ready caseload without adding admin headcount.
- Referral onboarding at volume
- Right to Choose referrals arrive in the hundreds, not the tens. Patients self-register through a secure portal, upload documents and complete questionnaires without admin data entry.
- Screening that scales with demand
- Screening rules you define apply your service's criteria to every referral and flag presentations that need urgent clinical review, with staff approval in one click. Staff screening time fell from 20 minutes to 2 minutes per patient at a UK RTC provider.
- Reports that keep up with capacity
- AI-drafted reports follow NICE guidelines and your templates, with every sentence citable to its source and verified by a clinician before signing. Drafting time falls from around 2 hours to under 30 minutes.
2×
more RTC referrals onboarded per week
Prove it and sustain it
Winning and keeping RTC contracts runs on evidence. Cerebric produces the commissioner reporting, procurement pack and treatment records that stand behind your service.
- Payer reporting for commissioners
- Activity, outcome and waiting-list reporting by payer, ready for ICB commissioners. Plus DNA tracking and per-clinician throughput, so contract conversations start from your numbers.
- Procurement evidence, ready to send
- Cerebric is a registered UKCA Class I medical device with NHS DSPT (Standards Exceeded), DTAC, DCB0129 clinical safety process, Cyber Essentials Plus and CREST-accredited penetration testing: the evidence pack RTC procurement asks for.
- Titration and shared care at scale
- Post-diagnostic treatment is where RTC caseloads compound. Cerebric automates shared care agreements, titration records and monthly patient monitoring through the patient portal.
ICB-ready
payer reporting for commissioners
Figures measured across Cerebric deployments at UK Right to Choose and private neurodevelopmental providers, 2025–26. See the full platform.
Right to Choose questions
What is NHS Right to Choose?
Right to Choose is the legal right of NHS patients in England to choose their provider at the point of GP referral, including qualified independent providers holding an NHS contract. For ADHD and autism assessment it has become a major route for reducing waits, with independent providers delivering NHS-funded assessments.
Does Cerebric provide assessments to patients?
No. Cerebric is a business-to-business platform used by clinics and providers. Individuals seeking an ADHD or autism assessment should speak to their GP about NHS referral options, including Right to Choose in England.
How does Cerebric help with the 2026/27 NHS payment guidance?
The 2026/27 NHS Payment Scheme sets national guide prices for neurodevelopmental assessments (£850 for an adult ADHD assessment; £1,350 for a children's autism assessment). Operating profitably at standardised prices requires a lower cost per assessment. Cerebric reduces the admin and report-writing time that dominates that cost.
Can Cerebric handle mixed RTC and private caseloads?
Yes. Payer-aware scheduling, payments and reporting keep RTC and private pathways cleanly separated in one system.
What happens if our ICB pauses Right to Choose referrals?
Several ICBs paused or restricted RTC referrals during 2025–26, and volatility is likely to continue. Providers use Cerebric's analytics to model capacity against referral flow by payer and diversify into private and other NHS contracts on the same platform.