Get a Private Psychiatry Referral Letter Today

It depends on how you are accessing private psychiatry. If you are self-paying and booking directly with an independent private psychiatrist, most will accept self-referrals without a GP letter. However, if you are using private health insurance, a GP referral letter is typically required. AXA Health requires a GP referral before authorising any consultant psychiatrist assessment. Aviva follows the standard referral pathway for specialist mental health care. Bupa operates a Direct Access pathway for some mental health presentations, though this does not always apply to consultant psychiatrist consultations — check your specific policy. A FastDoc referral letter from a GMC-registered doctor meets all standard insurer requirements.

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who has completed specialist training in psychiatry. The key distinction is that psychiatrists are medical doctors who can provide formal diagnoses and manage clinical treatment — they are the appropriate specialist for conditions requiring specialist management or formal diagnosis, including bipolar disorder, severe depression, psychosis, ADHD, and complex anxiety. A clinical psychologist holds a doctorate in clinical psychology but is not a medical doctor. Psychologists are highly trained in psychological assessment and therapy — CBT, EMDR, DBT — and are excellent for conditions that respond well to talking therapy. For most conditions, you may benefit from seeing both: a psychiatrist for diagnosis and treatment planning, and a psychologist for ongoing therapy.

Yes, most AXA Health policies that include mental health cover will cover consultant psychiatrist assessments, subject to a GP referral letter and pre-authorisation. AXA prefers an open referral — addressed to the specialty of psychiatry rather than a named consultant — which is how FastDoc referral letters are written. Contact AXA with your referral letter before booking to receive your pre-authorisation code. Coverage limits, session numbers, and inpatient terms vary by policy — check your policy documents carefully.

Many Bupa policies include mental health cover. Bupa operates a Direct Access pathway for some mental health conditions, which can allow you to start care without a GP referral. However, for consultant psychiatrist appointments specifically, some Bupa policies still require a referral — particularly for complex conditions or inpatient care. Contact Bupa before booking to confirm whether a GP referral is needed for your specific policy and presentation.

NHS waiting times for specialist psychiatric care vary significantly by location and condition, but they are among the longest in the NHS. Community mental health team waits can stretch close to two years for those waiting the longest — people are 12 times more likely to wait over 18 months for mental health treatment than for equivalent physical health care. Over 1.7 million people are currently on NHS mental health waiting lists in England. With a FastDoc referral letter, a private consultant psychiatrist can typically see you within days to a few weeks.

Same day if you order before 8pm on the Standard service at £44.95. Our Premium service at £59.95 puts you at the top of the queue for fastest processing. Once a GMC-registered doctor has reviewed your case and issued the referral, it is sent directly to your email as a PDF — ready to present to your psychiatrist or insurer immediately.

FastDoc can issue psychiatry referral letters for a wide range of conditions including anxiety disorders, depression, OCD, PTSD and complex trauma, bipolar disorder, personality disorders, eating disorders, severe burnout, and treatment reviews for treatment-resistant cases. For ADHD assessment referrals specifically, please see our dedicated ADHD referral page which covers the ADHD-specific pathway in full detail.

In most cases, yes. A diagnosis made by a GMC-registered consultant psychiatrist following recognised assessment standards is clinically valid and should be accepted by your GP for ongoing treatment. However, for conditions requiring ongoing specialist clinical management — particularly complex conditions such as bipolar disorder — your GP may refer back to NHS secondary care services. It is always worth discussing ongoing care arrangements with your private psychiatrist at your initial consultation.

If our GMC-registered doctor reviews your case and determines that a psychiatry referral is not clinically appropriate, you will receive a full refund and an explanation. We will not issue referrals that are not medically justified. In some cases, the doctor may suggest that a psychologist, therapist, or a different specialist would be more appropriate for your presenting symptoms.

Yes. All information you provide is encrypted, securely stored, and only accessed by the doctor reviewing your case. FastDoc is fully GDPR compliant and never shares your information with third parties without your explicit consent. Mental health information is handled with particular sensitivity and the same strict confidentiality as all other medical data.