Published on 12, July, 2020
After being told in a private ADHD assessment that I am almost autistic as well by a doctor that specialises in adult female ASD and ADHD which has made a lot of sense of a lot of questions I've had about myself through my life (my mother also has ASD).
I spoke to my GP about diagnosis options, she was very much in favor of seeking out an assessment based on what we discussed and a high RAADs score. Unsurprisingly I've been told 2-3 years for an NHS assessment in my area but she advised looking into right to chose.
The problem I'm having is finding information who are accredited to be used through the right to chose route. My GP is happy to submit whatever referral information I need for funding but wasn't great in terms of helping me know where to look. Does anyone have any advice where to start? If you've been through the process recently through a provider it would be really helpful to know how long application to assessment took.
I was also wondering if anyone has been diagnosed via their work's occupational health scheme? It looks like most OH cases at my work come from managers raising concerns and submitting an application rather than employee lead but wondered if anyone has asked for a referral to OH and been successful securing an assessment? If it's an option, I'm sure my manager would be supportive.
Thanks in advance!
I think it depends on the area you live in and the NHS trust you come under. I chose to go private with the Lorna Wing Centre. My GP was supportive of me asking the local Clinical Commissioning Group for funding but the secretary at the surgery refused to even put it forward because she said that they wouldn't approve it. This is actually unlawful but after 17 years I was done with waiting and fighting. I was told that they would fund diagnosis with Psychiatry UK but after researching I decided that it wasn't right for me. No doubt others on here will tell you about Right to Choose. From what I learned Psychiatry UK do pre-assessment forms then the actual diagnostic assessment is only one hour and done over the phone. For me, I don't think anyone can get to know me over the phone in an hour. I'm very good at masking and appear neurotypical. I also needed someone that has experience with diagnosing females and at Lorna Wing Centre they also give a detailed report with recommendations. So I felt that was right for me and I'm happy with the service I received.
When I was researching Psychiatry UK had an 18 week waiting list. There are other providers, depends on where you live. You could search "eligible providers right to choose autism" and see what comes up. There's a guide here:
https://www.s4nd.org/news-information/information/right-to-choice/