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NHS vs private assessment

Sam

Hi, 

I (29F) feel I would like to be assessed as I am fairly sure I am somewhere on the spectrum. I haven't yet made an appointment with my doctor to discuss this as I want to be as prepared as possible (gathering information and reasoning of why my family and I think I am likely to be on the spectrum but also finding out what the process is and NHS vs private options). 

My main questions are:

What is the NHS wait time likely to be after referral (I'm in the West Midlands if that helps)?

Are there any benefits (other than cost and timescale) of the NHS vs private assessment route? I mainly want the assessment for my own peace of mind but if it can help me get any support in any way then I would be open to that as well. 

If I was to go the private route rather than through the NHS, does anyone have any recommendations?  

If anyone has any general information or advice that may be useful please share as I feel slightly overwhelmed with the different information available online!

Parents

  • I went private for my assessment - picked a non-profit (checked out the registrations on the British Psychological Society website). Work picked up the tab. It was pretty speedy (aside from the delay due to the first covid lockdown). I had 3 sessions of aftercare included. I can get more if I self-fund, although I find there's enough resources on the internet to get the information I need. Occasionally I need to bounce ideas off my psychologist so I do check in with her. 

    I also paid privately for some 121 counselling to help me work it through. 

    For wait times NHS digital should have the information you need (it's a bit of a slog to find what you're looking for, but official statistics are more for transparency - as opposed to being designed with the service user in mind)

    https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/autism-statistics/quarter-2-july-to-september-2020-21

Reply

  • I went private for my assessment - picked a non-profit (checked out the registrations on the British Psychological Society website). Work picked up the tab. It was pretty speedy (aside from the delay due to the first covid lockdown). I had 3 sessions of aftercare included. I can get more if I self-fund, although I find there's enough resources on the internet to get the information I need. Occasionally I need to bounce ideas off my psychologist so I do check in with her. 

    I also paid privately for some 121 counselling to help me work it through. 

    For wait times NHS digital should have the information you need (it's a bit of a slog to find what you're looking for, but official statistics are more for transparency - as opposed to being designed with the service user in mind)

    https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/autism-statistics/quarter-2-july-to-september-2020-21

Children
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