Referral pathway details

Currently, where needed, we direct families to the existing services and processes for assessment and diagnosis in Cheshire East.

There are a number of different referral pathways, depending on whether your GP is within the Eastern Cheshire (Macclesfield) or Mid-Cheshire (Leighton) area and the age of the person being referred. If you’re not sure which catchment area your GP is in, you can find out here.

To find out which organisation you or your child would need to be referred to use the flow diagrams below and click through to the relevant organisation:

Links to the referral pathways for each provider are below:

• East Cheshire NHS Foundation Trust
• Cheshire and Wirral Partnerships NHS Foundation Trust
• Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Information on Right to Choose

Recognising that the current arrangements for seeking support can be complex, we’re excited to share that in the coming year we will be introducing a new, needs-based Neurodevelopmental Profiling Tool. This tool will help us better understand and support your child or young person’s individual needs without the immediate pressure of formal diagnosis. 

This change is part of the Cheshire and Merseyside Neurodevelopmental Model, which is currently being co-produced and tested with children, young people and families. The neurodevelopmental model focuses on a needs-based approach and emphasises a holistic understanding of the child or young person’s strengths and challenges. Rather than framing the entire support process around formal assessment and diagnosis, it uses categories that help guide decision-making and interventions in a way that feels less ‘diagnostic’ and more focused on supporting the individual.

If you want more information about the timeframes and details for implementing the tool in Cheshire East you can email enquiries@cheshireandmerseyside.nhs.uk. In the meantime, a similar profiling tool used in Portsmouth and details of this can be found here.