Desperate for help - Right to Choose?

Hello,

My fiancé, 32m, and I, 32f, have long suspected he is autistic. His parents, who are both teachers by profession, admit that they were told by his school teachers that he was likely on the spectrum, but did not follow up on getting a diagnosis or support.

My fiancé is finding life as an autistic adult increasingly difficult, and his mental health is not great as a result. 

We recently saw the GP who referred my fiancé for an autism assessment. After completing the initial questions, he received an email saying that he is now on the waiting list to be properly assessed. The wait time is 2 years. I know this is standard, but we desperately need support for him and I believe a formal diagnosis will help us to access this. 

We mentioned Right to Choose to the GP, which he said ‘might work’, but gave us no further information on how to pursue this. We cannot afford a private assessment at this time. 

Can anyone advise on how to start the Right to Choose process? Who do we speak to? Where do we apply?

I would be so grateful for any advice.

Parents
  • Yeah GP saying “might work” is useless lol, you actually have to go back and ask them to refer you specifically under Right to Choose to a provider like Psychiatry UK, they don’t do it automatically, you literally have to name the provider and push for it a bit, once that’s done the wait is usually way shorter than NHS standard.

Reply
  • Yeah GP saying “might work” is useless lol, you actually have to go back and ask them to refer you specifically under Right to Choose to a provider like Psychiatry UK, they don’t do it automatically, you literally have to name the provider and push for it a bit, once that’s done the wait is usually way shorter than NHS standard.

Children
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