Stick with NHS diagnosis waiting list or go private?

Hi Everyone, 

I live in Suffolk so I am under the NSFT

I saw my GP back in mid-August about getting a diagnosis for ASD. It took about a month to see the health adviser and she made a referral to the Access Team of the NSFT in mid September. After a number of weeks later (around Halloween) I received a phone call asking if I was suicidal (I'm not), and that I should receive a letter or phone call within a few weeks with a date for my first appointment with the next team. Come the beginning of February I hadn't heard anything at all so I rang the Access Team to see what had happened and they said my referral had been passed onto the next team, but she didn't say it was the autism team she gave a different team name - which I now can't remember. She said she would contact them and tell them I am still interested in having a diagnosis and they would get in touch to confirm the referral within a week or so. Nearly another month on and I still haven't heard. 

I understand there is a long wait list for adults but it has been over six months and my referral hasn't even reached the autism diagnosis team yet it is still in the "triage" stage departments (not sure what else to call them). Is it unreasonable to expect this stage to have happened by now? 

The thing is I do have the money for a private assessment. Would this be better? I know it would be quicker but I have heard some services will only honour a NHS diagnosis and not a private one? Is this true?

Thanks

J

Parents
  • What helped me was reading more about autism, particularly the stories of other autistic adults. this more or less crystallised my self diagnosis because so many were so close to my life story that I could have written them myself. 

    I've been pushed too and fro by the NHS for nearly 9 months now, and it's going nowhere fast, I've been sent for 2 different mental health assessments without any concrete diagnosis, the only thing they actually cared about was whether or not I was Bipolar and whether I pose any immediate risk to myself or others. My GP seems pretty convinced autism isn't a healthcare thing, the primary care trust doesn't offer any autism services, and the surgery seems to think autism is more related to the department of education. 

    My life can't wait for me to have an official diagnosis in my hand, I've followed the advise and wisdom of the sources of information on autism and it's helped me a lot with managing the stress in my life. I'm still really struggling but I refuse to go private as I'm convinced that private healthcare in the UK will force me onto a program where I'm committed to spending £100's per month on endless CBT.

Reply
  • What helped me was reading more about autism, particularly the stories of other autistic adults. this more or less crystallised my self diagnosis because so many were so close to my life story that I could have written them myself. 

    I've been pushed too and fro by the NHS for nearly 9 months now, and it's going nowhere fast, I've been sent for 2 different mental health assessments without any concrete diagnosis, the only thing they actually cared about was whether or not I was Bipolar and whether I pose any immediate risk to myself or others. My GP seems pretty convinced autism isn't a healthcare thing, the primary care trust doesn't offer any autism services, and the surgery seems to think autism is more related to the department of education. 

    My life can't wait for me to have an official diagnosis in my hand, I've followed the advise and wisdom of the sources of information on autism and it's helped me a lot with managing the stress in my life. I'm still really struggling but I refuse to go private as I'm convinced that private healthcare in the UK will force me onto a program where I'm committed to spending £100's per month on endless CBT.

Children
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