Can I self-refer for OCD Right to Choose?

No. Right to Choose referrals for OCD have to come from your GP. You can, however, self-refer directly to most local NHS Talking Therapies services without going through Right to Choose at all.

Does Right to Choose give me a choice of treatment, not just provider?

No. Right to Choose lets you choose which NHS-contracted provider treats you, but the treatment itself still has to be what is clinically appropriate and NICE-recommended - for OCD, that is CBT with ERP.

Can I use Right to Choose to get into a specialist inpatient OCD unit faster?

No. Specialist and inpatient services are outside the scope of Right to Choose. Access to these requires a CMHT referral and separate funding approval, either through NHS England's Highly Specialised Service or your local ICB.

What happens if my local ICB refuses to fund specialist treatment?

You can ask your consultant to appeal, though appeal panels generally review whether the correct process was followed rather than reopening the clinical decision. Charities such as OCD-UK and OCD Action can offer advice and template letters if you are challenging a funding refusal.

Do I need a diagnosis before I can start treatment?

No. You do not need a formal psychiatric diagnosis to access NHS OCD treatment. Symptoms recognised by your GP or at your Talking Therapies assessment are usually enough to begin CBT with ERP.

OCD Right to Choose Explained | Find Care Compare

Written by Christina Boman-Markaki, reviewed by the Find Care Compare team · Last updated September 2026

If you have been diagnosed with, or referred for, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), you may be able to choose which NHS provider treats you, rather than automatically joining your local waiting list. This is called Right to Choose, sometimes referred to as Patient Choice, and it is a legal right under the NHS Constitution.

Right to Choose works differently for OCD than it does for some other conditions, such as ADHD or autism. It only applies to treatment, not assessment or diagnosis - you cannot use Right to Choose to get a faster or private OCD diagnosis on the NHS. Right to Choose for OCD is mostly about choosing where you get talking therapy - specifically cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) with exposure and response prevention (ERP), which is the main NHS treatment for OCD.

What Right to Choose gives you for OCD

Since April 2014, patients in England have had the same legal right to choose their mental health provider as they do for physical health conditions. In practice, for OCD, this means:

Your GP can refer you to any NHS-contracted provider in England offering the treatment you need, not just your local service.
No prior approval from your local Integrated Care Board (ICB) is needed - funding follows automatically once your GP makes the referral.
The treatment on offer has to be clinically appropriate. For OCD, that means CBT with ERP.

You cannot use Right to Choose to request a different type of treatment, or to be referred directly to a specialist or inpatient service - specialist and inpatient routes are covered later in this guide.

Choosing a specialist OCD provider through Right to Choose

Most people access CBT with ERP treatment through their local NHS Talking Therapies service. However, if you would prefer to recieve therapy from a specialist OCD centre, there is one main centre that accepts GP Right to Choose referrals:

CADAT - Centre for Anxiety Disorders and Trauma (Maudsley Hospital)

NHS trust: South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
What it offers via Right to Choose: outpatient CBT with ERP, equivalent to a standard NHS Talking Therapies service, for less complex OCD presentations
How to be referred: your GP completes CADAT's online referral form and selects the Patient Choice option. You cannot self-refer through this route.
Who it is not suitable for: if you need input from a Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) - for example, because of risk to yourself - or you have more complex needs, this route is not appropriate and a different referral pathway applies, as set out below
Contact: Maudsley Hospital, 99 Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AZ. Tel: 020 3228 2101

Right to Choose also allows you to ask your GP to refer you to an NHS Talking Therapies service outside your local area, if you would prefer to be seen by a different service. For example, you might choose a service in a location that's more convenient for you, or has shorter waiting times.

What Right to Choose does not cover: specialist and severe OCD services

If your OCD is severe or has not responded to standard treatment, England has a small number of specialist centres for treatment-resistant OCD. These cannot be accessed through Right to Choose. Instead, you would normally need to be under the care of a Community Mental Health Team (CMHT). Your consultant can then apply for funding for specialist treatment on your behalf, either from your local ICB or from NHS England's Highly Specialised Service (HSS) for OCD.

Springfield National OCD/BDD Service (South West London and St George's NHS Trust) - the only 24/7 inpatient OCD unit in the UK, plus intensive outpatient treatment. CMHT referral only.
Anxiety Disorders Residential Unit (South London and Maudsley, Bethlem Hospital) - residential CBT, typically around 12 weeks. CMHT referral and funding approval required.
HPFT Highly Specialised Service (Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Trust, Welwyn Garden City) - outpatient, home-based and some inpatient treatment for severe OCD. CMHT referral and funding approval required.
Priory Hospital North London - independent inpatient unit, part of the NHS Highly Specialised Service network. Accessed via funding approval, usually with support from one of the NHS specialist centres.
National and Specialist CAMHS OCD/BDD Team (Maudsley) - for children and young people, via CAMHS/CMHT referral and funding approval.

These centres exist to treat OCD that has not improved with standard CBT with ERP and medication. Admission criteria typically require evidence of at least two previous courses of CBT with ERP and two medication trials at an adequate dose that have not worked.

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Medication alongside talking therapy

NICE guidelines recommend selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) as the first-line medication for OCD, often at higher doses than are used for depression, alongside CBT with ERP for more severe cases. If an SSRI does not help after an adequate trial, clomipramine is usually considered next. Medication for OCD is typically started or adjusted by a specialist, then continued by your GP under a shared care agreement once your dose is stable. GPs are not obliged to take over prescribing that started privately, so it is worth checking this in advance with a provider if you are considering a private diagnosis alongside NHS treatment.

Outside England

Right to Choose is a legal right in England only. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have different systems:

Scotland has its own national specialist OCD service, the Advanced Interventions Service at Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, funded by NHS Scotland for Scottish residents. Patients from other UK nations can be referred here, but this needs funding approval from their home health board or ICB - it cannot be accessed via Right to Choose referral.
Wales and Northern Ireland have no dedicated specialist OCD centre. Patients needing specialist treatment are referred to English or Scottish centres, but this always requires funding approval from the relevant Welsh Health Board or Northern Ireland Health and Social Care Trust first.