This page explains who can and cannot be referred to Paloma Health. Please review it carefully before making a referral to ensure your patient is eligible.

Proudly providing NHS services

NHS Right to Choose referral

Thank you for your trust in our service. At Paloma Health, we are committed to supporting families by providing timely and high-quality care.

Paloma Health provides NHS Right to Choose referrals only, and we cannot accept referrals from NHS GPs outside of England, nor private GP referrals.

Below is the inclusion and exclusion criteria for our services. Please read through this page carefully before making a referral.

Inclusion criteria

We can accept children registered with any GP practice in England.

When making a referral, you are choosing which pathway that child is referred into. Your options are:

Fully remote autism assessment pathway

All three appointments are done remotely via secure video calling. We can only accept children to this pathway who are:

Aged between their 8th and 18th birthdays

Have no diagnosed or suspected learning disabilities, speech and language conditions or selective mutism (these children must be referred to one of our hybrid pathways)

Hybrid autism assessment pathway in Exeter

Two appointments are conducted remotely, with one child observation appointment held in person in Exeter. We can only accept children to this pathway who are:

Aged between their 5th and 18th birthday

Aged between their 2nd and 5th birthday, and have seen a community paediatrician who has recommended an autism assessment

Willing to travel to Exeter, for one in-person appointment

Hybrid autism assessment pathway in Norwich

Two appointments are remote, with one child observation appointment in person in Norwich. We can only accept children to this pathway who are:

Aged between their 6th and 18th birthdays

Willing to travel to Norwich, for one in-person appointment

Quick reference guide

As a quick reference guide for what pathway to choose based on the child’s age and medical needs:

Aged 2nd to 5th birthday: If the child has been seen by a community paediatrician who recommends an autism assessment, they can be referred to our Hybrid autism assessment pathway in Exeter only. In line with NHS best practice, we cannot accept referrals for children aged 2-4 who a community paediatrician has not seen.
Aged between their 5th and 6th birthday: Hybrid autism assessment pathway in Exeter only.
Aged between their 6th and 8th birthday: Hybrid autism assessment pathway in Exeter or Hybrid autism assessment pathway in Norwich.
Aged between their 8th and 18th birthday and who do not have a speech and language disorder, a learning disability, or selective mutism can be seen in our Fully remote autism assessment pathway.
Aged between 8th and 18th birthday who either have a speech and language disorder, a learning disability, or selective mutism, or who prefer in-person, can be seen in our Hybrid autism assessment pathway in Exeter or Hybrid autism assessment pathway in Norwich.

Exclusion criteria

Please review the following exclusion criteria carefully before proceeding with your referral. These criteria apply to our Remote and Hybrid Exeter pathways, and we, unfortunately, cannot accept children who meet any of these conditions. Our Hybrid Norfolk exclusion criteria are shown in the Hybrid Norfolk Referral Form (available on request).

We appreciate your review of the criteria, as we want to avoid any potential disappointment for families if they are ineligible.

The child has a previous autism diagnosis (whether NHS or private). We cannot see children who already have an autism diagnosis.
GP physical examination has not been completed within the last 6 months (GPs must screen for potential medical causes for the presentation, such as hearing issues or speech and language conditions)
Children who have had their 18th birthday or are older
Currently active suicidal intent, severe self-harm, or severe unmanaged mental health disorders requiring urgent intervention
Recent (past 6 months) or ongoing self-harm (requiring medical treatment), harm to others (requiring medical treatment), suicidal thoughts, or suicide attempts without a risk management plan in place or being put in place by their GP
Active or recent involvement with Drug and Alcohol Services
Currently in hospital under the Mental Health Act (1983)
Active or recent admission to Acute Mental Health inpatients or 136 suite
Active or recent admission to Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit
Individuals involved in ongoing legal cases, police investigations, or child protection plans.
Children in court proceedings where intervention is not advised under Home Office guidelines.

Any active safeguarding concerns requiring a Section 47 intervention.
Any child aged 2-4 years old with any active safeguarding concern (even if there is a risk plan in place)
Untreated, severe, or complex conditions such as schizophrenia, or severe PTSD, psychosis or treatment for psychotic episode
Diagnosis of Learning Disability, impaired cognitive functioning, developmental delay
Severely to profoundly deaf or use British Sign Language (BSL) as their first language (these children should be referred to NHS National Deaf CAMHS services)
Currently in hospital under the Mental Health Act (1983)
Court assessments
Currently serving a prison sentence
Children who are under the age of 2
Any child aged 2-4 years old who has not seen a community paediatrician who has recommended an autism assessment
Any child aged 2-4 years old where their overall cognitive development is below the level expected of a typical 18-month-old child. For example, they can:
- walk
- pick up objects with a pincer grip
- press a button to operate a cause-and-effect toy
- look for a hidden toy that they have seen moved

How to refer

Thank you for reviewing our criteria

You’re now ready to make a referral to Paloma Health. Here’s how:

For Remote or Hybrid Exeter Pathway:
- Use our online referral form or click the button below.
For Hybrid Norwich Pathway:
- Email paloma.health@nhs.net.

We will notify parents immediately once we receive the referral and let them know the next steps.

Create NHS Right to Choose referral

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