Hi everyone,
I have been on a waiting list for an assessment for a couple of months, originally informed this would be about 6 months.
All of my initial tests and questionnaires are complete, so I'm just playing the waiting game.
I received a letter from my provider today informing me that the NHS Central East Integrated Care Team (ICB) have paused all funding for assessments immediately.
"Due to high demand for autism and ADHD assessments and wider NHS budgets, we are unable to proceed with routine new assessments for patients referred through the Right to Choose pathway in your area. This is because funding arrangements for these assessments are currently under review by the ICB. As a result, you will remain on our waiting list until we receive further confirmation regarding future funding and service capacity".
Does anyone have any experience of what this means in practice - when is this generally reviewed? How long will the additional wait be? Do I move to the bottom of the waiting list, or rise to the top as soon as funding becomes available?
In my professional experience of budgets, this generally refreshes at the start of the next financial year in April - does this mean the 2026/27 budget has already maxed out (In August!) and therefore won't be reviewed until April 2027?
I'm extremely apprehensive about this, and am considering taking myself off the waiting list and going private given the now open-ended timescales.
