NHS assment times, whats yours?

I was initially referred to children's services, but due to their wait time I would have aged out once I got to the end of the list so they refused me and adult's services don't accept you until you're actually an adult so that added a good half a year. 

Once referred to adults, it took 7 months for a triage appointment. At the triage appointment I was told it would be 7-9 months and to contact them in march if I hadn't heard, but having done that I have now been told that full assessment will be at July at the earliest and could be past October, so that would definitely take me past the two year mark. 

In an additional pain in the ***, the mental health team after assessing me said that they were reluctant to do much with me before I get assessed for autism so that has not helped there and they've said they'll book me in for a more full mental health assessment in late April/May ish so in the meantime I guess I'm just supposed to not let my brain mess me up too badly?

To update on this - just got an appointment for a short online meeting in two weeks time. Not sure if it's the results, or more diagnostic work.. 

If I get the results in this meeting, that'll make the total time 2 years and 4 months.

Similar situation unfortunately too, looking at over a year

I recently got a letter stating my wait time is 3-4 years which was a little heart breaking

Took two years in South Yorkshire and I got lucky with someone elses cancellation.  I think 1-2 years is the average, probably more now with Covid.

I’m in West Yorkshire, I was referred early Oct 2021 and got my diagnosis two weeks ago. Much quicker than I expected - they did tell me they had been given a lot of recent funding so this probably explains the short wait 

I live in Kent so Psicon assessed me. I cried with relief when I got the diagnosis. I'd suspected it for years..I think it will take a long time to reframe a lot of my life experiences though and help me unpick what's probably deep seated trauma 

That's pretty good - which area/service did you go through?

wow that was quick did you find it helped with your mind when you got the diagnosis, its a shame it dont fix the mental health side of it.

I was referred by my GP in October 2021 and diagnosed today. So just 4 months from start to finish. I feel extremely fortunate

It's worse if you were missed in school and have autism and ADHD, because the NHS doesn't allow you to seek autism and ADHD assessment at the same time. you have to choose one or the other and be places on the waiting list which for me at 16 took six years. then after you have to autism assessment you can then be put on the ADHD assessment waiting list i've been on the ADHD waiting list for three years now. Officially a decade from my initial referral. This has meant children are being prevented from accessing education because you need a formal diagnosis to get the additional support to able to cope and attend education and work and most autism friendly courses at colleges like technology based are capped for under 21's. 

my experience took six years from 2013 to 2019 at age sixteen in Norfolk. This meant that i missed out on higher education because i could access the additional support until i had a formal diagnosis. I've particle waited a decade now for an ADHD assessment which recently found out that you can not seek an autism assessment and adhd assessment at the same time so my ADHD assessment wasn't placed onto the waiting list until after the autism assessment. I am now have to wait until october to see psychiatry UK through right to choose because i had enough of the NHS pathways, excuses and lies.   

I’m in Belfast and after getting the go ahead from my GP was dismayed to be sent, In December, the news I was on a four year waiting list. I went and got a private assessment instead. I could be dead in four years ffs. I appreciate the NHS is doing it’s best under tremendous strain though. Just wasn’t prepared to wait so borrowed some money to find out immediately instead. 

Yes, I had an NHS referral in Feb 2021 and the wait is years.

Meanwhile I went with the NAS Lorna Wing Centre as a self-referal and paid. Wait was still 10 months.

It's awful. There is a diagnostic crisis in this country. Is there any chance you can find another route? If you or family could pay (I know, morally not right, but still..), have you an employer who would, are you a student who might get assessed by the University in-house teams?

Meanwhile, everytime you deal with MH services, make them aware you are waiting and ask them to treat you 'as if' meanwhile. Their solutions for NTs are not a lot of use if you are on the Spectrum.

I'm in lancashire, so got referred to the lancashire autism service.

I send off my application in nov 2019. Had a triage phone call in may 2020. Some online questionnaires in sept 2020. Had an interview with their psychologist in may 2021, but they say that they need a sit-down meeting to discuss it among themselves, and that wasn't happening with covid, so it's got no further yet. In oct 2021 I got a message telling me that the woman who did my interview was going on maternity leave, so it'll be at least a few more months. So I'm about 2 years 3 months in at this point.

From what I hear, lancashire autism service are generally quite good with waiting times, but this whole covid mess has fucked them over quite badly. Plus there's a page on their website saying that there's sometimes a 3-6 month delay even receiving a referral due to the NHS referral services being backlogged because of covid. It's a mess. Hopefully not too much longer though.

Thanks for the replies, seems I am not alone. For me I just want to know what my enemy is. What of my problems is autism and what maybe something else. The annoying thing is I went to my GP in january but the assment request wasn't processed until march, so I lost a couple of months. Frustrating!

I’m in York and was referred in January 2019 and only got my outcome at the end of 2021 so it was nearly 3 years for me

mines called DAANA in Devon

yes i got put on the waiting list on July 2021, i got told the waiting list is for 2 years, then few monthes later i got told it will be 4 years, they told me it is because of the amount of referals they are getting but they are hiring more staff so the waiting list may get shorter for us.

i just tell myself i have autism now as thats the only outcome i am only getting from it, it does not help with the mental health difficulties we face anyway.

maybe start trying to get help with your mental health if its becoming hard for you

In 2019 there was a years wait.

In 2021, I was told over a year. 

Today, it’s at least 2 years in Suffolk. It’s shocking.