Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi everyone
My GP is has informed me that the practice doesn't not do referrals to the assessment & that I would have to go private.
I was previously referred in London before I moved to Lowestoft (Suffolk) & when the hospital found out took me off the waiting list.
Is their any other way I can get a referral to the NHS as I can't afford the private cost (without a payment plan)?
I am waiting a year in from my daughter being referred do assessment. How do you check your position in the queue and how did rtc work? Worried about losing her place in nhs queue
Hi TheDoctorishere,
Our website has a diagnosis hub, this includes information, practical and multimedia resources to support autistic people and their families before during and after diagnosis.
You may want to visit the other resources on our website, we have advice and guidance on a wide range of information about autism, socialising and relationships, communication and education: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance
You can try searching on our Autism Services Directory for diagnostic services in your local area. The Directory also includes listings for support and social groups for autistic people, their families and friends.
I hope this is helpful,
Rosie Mod
I would suggest going via Right to Choose. I was still waiting for my assessment three years after being referred, when enquiring about my assessment date I found that my referral got lost in transit. Then I found out about rtc and was seen within a 3 months.
I was in a similar situation moved home and was bumped off the waiting list after about a 5 year fight with GP who finally referred me.
New GP kept claiming to have referred me but I obtained proof over 4 years that they never had. Self referred to community mental health and they did the referral instead.
I was diagnosed 7 years ago after 9 years of "fighting" the system
TheDoctorishere said:My GP is has informed me that the practice doesn't not do referrals to the assessment & that I would have to go private.
Are they really allowed to do that? I didn't know that. That's awful seeing as how you already waited for a bit anyway.
Look for the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) link for your borough, the Mental Health teams usually support self-referral, and from there you can find out about options.However it's likely that like many areas of the UK, the waiting list is years long, especially for adults.