Can an old diagnosis still be recognised by the NHS?

Cloud44 said:

If it's added to your records, do you get offered and NHS based support

There is no NHS based support to my knowledge. We are very much left to deal with it ourselves which typically means getting your own therapist.

Services can vary from county to county so speak to your GP and hopefully they will be clued up enough to understand autism (surprisingly many still have a very basic understanding) and have the willingness to consider your needs severe enough to merit the services they can refer you to,

So scan in your diagnosis and save it to the cloud - and even email it to your GP if you want to choose that route, This way you can't loose it.

Cloud44 said:

I think I just want to be left alone in the workplace and not dragged into the politics.

I get this - it was a universal feature in al the jobs I ever had where office politics pervade the life there.

I tried the "talk to the hand" approach but then was accused of being passive agressive and someone made a complaint to HR which involved the whole having to defend myself thing.

I worked as a manager for a long time and saw both sides of the situation and ended up specialising in departments that were in deep trouble so my life became about politics for sizable periods ot time.

In summary, there is almost no chance ot avoid it unless you become your own boss but then it shifts and you need to find customers and this is even more of a pain in the derrier.

My approach was to learn about the social rules and find ways to work within those frameworks - it costs lots in terms of energy and stress but allowed me to do my job very effectively. I guess work became a special interest which is why I could hyperfocus on learning this stuff.

I would suggest browsing the topics here about employment as there has been a lot talked about that seems relevant to what you ask. Come back and ask again about the things you cannot find or need clarification on, or even things you want suggestions for a different approach to.

My area of work is quite niche and it is so difficult to find something other that you have been doing for 30 years. It is terrifying.

I completely get this. The law is on our side - they want people to work, right? But employers are a law on their own. I'm looking at places like councils who actively employ people with disabilities/ND people, apparently they guarantee you an interview if you disclose but I don't know what it's actually like on the inside.

Be careful what you ask for. My employers are ignoring recommendations from Occupational health, Access to Work and my diagnosis letter regarding accommodations.

As in my case, it gives them an opportunity to manage you out the door.

This is not right. It is so unfair. You may ask, is the law not on my side? Yes and no. Employers are deft at manipulating things so as to get out of doing the right thing. HR are the worst hiding behind policies with no leeway. 

Sorry I seem to be in a frustrated ranting mood today.

Thank you, I'm not really sure what accommodations I would ask for (office work), I want them to be aware so I don't get dragged into office politics or constantly misunderstood.

Thank you. I'm not really sure what accommodations I need to be honest. I won't be applying for anything I know I can't cope with.  

I've vowed never to put up with the way I was previously treated again though. If a workplace doesn't want me, that's fine, I'd rather not work and live on basics than be in that situation again (very bad workplace bullying). 

The masking was so exhausting and didn't fully work anyway. I'm working on understanding that some of the problems were caused by misunderstanding and communication, so I'd rather be honest and open in the future so people know if I've said something they deem too blunt or haven't understood what they meant, I'm not doing it on purpose to antagonise them.  

Iain said:

You can submit it to your GP to have it added to your NHS records if you wish - that is what I did (I went privately too).

If it's added to your records, do you get offered and NHS based support or does it not really make a difference? I've been looking at my report again (and photocopying it because I forgot I may hold the only copy now in existence) and it's very thorough and signed off a registered psychologist so I'm hoping it will be accepted if an employer does ask to see it.

I think I just want to be left alone in the workplace and not dragged into the politics. I know there are places to work, such as councils, who are guarantee you an interview if you disclose, although I don't know much about how it all works.

Cloud44 said:

I'm wondering if it has to be an NHS diagnosis? It was done by a registered psychologist who created a full diagnostic report,

If the person performing the assessment was a appropriately qualified phychiatrist or psychologist then there should be no problem so long as the formal diagnisis is still available.

You can submit it to your GP to have it added to your NHS records if you wish - that is what I did (I went privately too).

Cloud44 said:

In order to seek accommodations in future employment

It will help a lot should you choose to disclose it to potential employers, but you really will benefit from working out what the accommodations are that you need and if they are viable.

For example if you can't cope with speaking to people then if you go for a helpdesk job then don't be surprised if this is refused.

Many on this site have said they don't disclose their diagnosis until they are out of the probation period as some employers do not have a very accommodating mindset for those of us with conditions such as autism and they think we will be a liability and will either not hire you or encourage you to leave by making the job so unpalatable that you resign.

It can be a minefield, especially for older staff who are already likely to experience ageism.

That is my opinion anyway.

I think it depends on the employer to be honest. My employer has never asked for any kind of proof of my condition and any accommodation has been done at the level of personal agreement with my manager and coworkers, nothing official.