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Assessment delays

pintsizepirate

Hi everyone

Looking for some advice here. I contacted the company my GP referred me to for an autism assessment this week to get an update. Assessment at the latest was due on January 21st. They simply replied, all assessments will now be at least a year's wait. 
They accepted the referral on the 21st of July, stating a 4-6 month wait. It took 7 months to get the GP to complete the referral. In my head, I've already waited a year. I've written to all involved: GP, Council ICB, South London & Maudsley for a referral to their National Adult ADHD and Autism Psychology Service, my council's screening service but nobody is responding. What do I do? What are my options? This was through Right to Choose. If I hadn't contacted anyone, I would still be in the dark next year. 
My life has been on hold waiting for this. My mental and physical health is being affected as has my marriage which has now broken down because of my traits. I already have an ADHD diagnosis. I'm at my wits end! Surely, they can't abandon patients like this? Don't they have a duty of care? 
Hoping somebody here may have some guidance or advice as to what my options are as the powers that be are proving to be useless. 
Many thanks in advance 
joanne
Parents

  • If you can't go private I don't think there is much you can do. I pointed out on the Streeting thread that there are 13 times more people on the waiting list than in 2019.

    The NHS is supposed to be recruiting another 8,500 people for mental health, but I don't think many will be psychologists, so it may not help the queue much.

    Here is some info from chatGPT (the new numbers are accurate):

    .

    Official reports confirm that 13 times more people were waiting for an NHS autism assessment in September 2025 compared to April 2019. 

    This dramatic increase reflects a worsening crisis in autism diagnosis services across England, driven by soaring demand and insufficient capacity. 

    Key details on the waiting lists include:

    Total Waiting List: As of September 2025, there were over 227,000 patients with an open referral for suspected autism.

    Waiting Times: The average (median) wait time for an autism assessment has rocketed, with recent data from November 2025 showing it is over 16 months. In comparison, the median wait was over four months in late 2019.

    NICE Guidance: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance states that an assessment should begin within 13 weeks of referral, but data from March 2025 indicated only 4.5% of patients received an appointment within this time frame.

    Regional Variation: There is a significant "postcode lottery" in waiting times, with some areas having vastly longer waits than others. 

    Charities like the National Autistic Society are calling for urgent government action and dedicated funding to address the growing crisis. 

Reply

  • If you can't go private I don't think there is much you can do. I pointed out on the Streeting thread that there are 13 times more people on the waiting list than in 2019.

    The NHS is supposed to be recruiting another 8,500 people for mental health, but I don't think many will be psychologists, so it may not help the queue much.

    Here is some info from chatGPT (the new numbers are accurate):

    .

    Official reports confirm that 13 times more people were waiting for an NHS autism assessment in September 2025 compared to April 2019. 

    This dramatic increase reflects a worsening crisis in autism diagnosis services across England, driven by soaring demand and insufficient capacity. 

    Key details on the waiting lists include:

    Total Waiting List: As of September 2025, there were over 227,000 patients with an open referral for suspected autism.

    Waiting Times: The average (median) wait time for an autism assessment has rocketed, with recent data from November 2025 showing it is over 16 months. In comparison, the median wait was over four months in late 2019.

    NICE Guidance: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance states that an assessment should begin within 13 weeks of referral, but data from March 2025 indicated only 4.5% of patients received an appointment within this time frame.

    Regional Variation: There is a significant "postcode lottery" in waiting times, with some areas having vastly longer waits than others. 

    Charities like the National Autistic Society are calling for urgent government action and dedicated funding to address the growing crisis. 

Children
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