Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi all! I was referred by my NHS GP for an autism diagnosis and subsequently passed autism screening. Since then, I was told by administrators that I will have to wait "several years" for an assessment via the Oxfordshire Adult Autism Diagnostic and Support Service. Now I'm not sure if I should exercise my Right to Choose in order to see if I can get an assessment sooner (within a more reasonable time frame of 12-24 months). Does anyone happen to have any advice regarding NHS wait times and Right to Choose? Thank you so much in advance, it would be great to have more certainty with my diagnosis (though I recognise that many others are in the same position as me)!
Hi and welcome to the community!
I waited for over two years on the NHS waiting list. Whilst waiting, I happened to be referred to an NHS psychiatrist for medication-related help. He's the one who told me about Right to Choose and recommended that I ask my GP to switch me to that diagnostic pathway.
I did as he suggested (choosing to go with Psychiatry UK, also per his advice) and had my assessment much sooner than I'd have done had I stayed on the NHS list. If I'd known about RTC at the outset, I'd definitely have chosen that option immediately - so that's also my recommendation to you!
That is very helpful to know thank you! And thanks for letting me know which provider you chose - I've been trying to do research to find the best one so this is good to know. Hopefully my GP works with me on RTC!