Hello!

Jimmy? Are you about still?

Pleased to hear you have your diagnosis! And sorry for not responding sooner - I receive email notifications of replies seemingly at random, which is less than helpful. If you are on wrongplanet, my username over there is jimothy1669

Pleased to hear you have your diagnosis! And sorry for not responding sooner - I receive email notifications of replies seemingly at random, which is less than helpful. If you are on wrongplanet, my username over there is jimothy1669

Its official - I officially meet the DSM V criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder. I have my draft report - makes surreal reading about myself.

Apologising doesn't hurt and I need the practice!

Another thing you could do is establish a local NAS branch or something less formal?

OK, no need to apologise :)

I had wondered about asking a mod to forward email address. I'll try that.

Sorry, I misunderstood what that link was for :-( It just forwards a link to the profile.

Perhaps the moderators might forward an email address for you if you ask via the feedback form?

You sure about that recombinantsocks? When I click on the email icon to the right of a members profile name it starts some kind of 'formward this page to a friend' type dialogue - not message this user. I may be missing what you're trying to tell me... If so, soz.

If you go to a user's profile page by following the link in the message header e.g. Jimmy1669 (you have to be logged in to do this) you will see an email link that enables you to send private emails.

BTW - Jimmy1669; I would like to get intouch but there is no personal messaging function on here. Are you on any other forums where we could talk privately? It seems we live close to each other and may even share the same GP's!

I have finally got my assessment appointment! It's only been 13months or so since I approached my GP...

Must'nt grumble though ;) Better late than never. It's mid Jan 2015 - I'll report back afterwards.

Hi jimmy1669,

IIRC they eventually decided I could be seen within Lincolnshire but that the waiting list was around 12weeks or so. I'm waiting to hear still....

All the best,

Soldersplash.

Hello,

Sorry to dredge up an old post but I've been scouring the internet for autism/AS resources in Lincolnshire, and am curious to know whether you've been successful in being referred to the CLASS clinic, soldersplash? I also fall under the Lincs East Clinical Commissioning Group, and as chance would have it, approached my GP just this morning about referral for diagnosis as an adult. I suspected he would need to refer me to the CLASS clinic and complete an IFR for me, which he more or less confirmed. He did however say that there should be no problem with the funding being granted should there be no appropriate service in this area (which I'm almost certain is the case) due to provisions in the Autism Act (2009), so I'm surprised to hear that your funding was initially refused.

I hope you've been able to make some progress since posting here, and if you can shed any light on the situation in East Lincolnshire (I'm in Kirton) I would be tremendously grateful!

I seriously think you'd be best off speaking to your GP to say that he needs to have fully exhausted local options first otherwise no doubt the funding would be turned down again for out-of-area.  I presume they gave him a reason, and if the reason is that there is local provision then the GP should query with them, where that provision is.  It's no good him just sending the same request back in.  You can see another GP at the practice, it doesn't need to be the same one you have seen already, and if he is a bit clueless and incompetent it might be better to.  Trust me, these pen-pushing, tick-boxing, jobsworthy types won't care if the in-county service is further away, they won't fund out of area whilst you have the provision.

Thanks for trying IntenseWorld.

It seems that Lincolnshire has a number of CCG's. I fall under Lincolnshire East Clinical Commissioning Group. I'm just south of Boston. Nowhere near Grimsby.

I just found out from the GP's surgery that the IFR was turned down and my GP has sent it in again. How that will help I don't know. I suspect they'll turn it down again for whatever reason they did in the first instance. I want to see my GP to ask how he thinks this strategy willl work but he's already fully booked today of course and he's on holiday next week. Typical.

I am now contacting my CCG myself to ask the question about Adult Asperger Diagnostic service. Grimsby is marginaly closer than Cambridge (52 vs 68 miles by road) so maybe I should be looking to be refered there even if it still means IFR needed due to being in a different CCG area.

The Thick Plottens!

This goes on and on...

Your GP is clearly being difficult.

Here is North Lincolnshire adult autism strategy: http://www.northlincolnshireccg.nhs.uk/data/uploads/publications/North%20Lincolnshire%20Joint%20Adult%20Autism%20Commissioning%20Strategy.pdf

The author is Lynne Hall from NHS North Lincolnshire.

There is also this: http://lincolnshire.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s2618/Autism%20Strategy%20Appendix%20A.pdf

Author: Paul Herniman

On the NAS website here: http://www.autism.org.uk/working-with/autism-strategy/local-planning/autism-partnership-boards/find-your-local-apbs.aspx

It has this:

North East Lincs Autism Partnership Board

with this email address: www.nelctp.nhs.uk

Also this: http://www.northlincs.gov.uk/people-health-and-care/shaping-services/health-and-care-consultations/information-on-autism/

Contact details

I cannot understand why your GP is so clueless as all of this is simply available on Google to anyone.  Maybe he doesn't want to admit he has cocked up.  You won't get funding out of area if there is a facility within area.  That is categorical, unless for some reason your case is complex and cannot be handled within area services.

Back in January I ended up having to help my GP find where to reger me outside Lincolnshire after he and I gave up trying to find the service in Lincolnshire.  So Cambridge  Lifespan Asperger Service is where I suggested. The referral was made and they came back with "We'll. See your patient just as soon as you confirm who's funding it". All very predictable and the literature about CLASS that I provided the GP with had made it clear if you weren't under Cambridgeshire NHS you'd need your local NHS to fund it. So unnecessary delay. GP then does application for funding from NHS Lincolnshire.  I'm still waiting to hear about that. I enquired a few weeks ago at the GP's and they hadn't got a response. I left a message again today and will check back tomorrow.  I'm not hopeful since the receptionist can see on file no new correspondence. Looking like I'll need to book an appointment with GP to politely enquire as to what the bloody hold up is. Meanwhile my depression although improved is still quite severe every few weeks... I don't need this stress. It makes me ill.

I'm not often too good with being assertive, it comes over as aggressive. I am considering writing to my GP to explain what's happened since he pointed me to SHINE, and to ask for him to find out where to refer me, referencing the Autism Act, Strategy and guidance.

Your GP has to, according to statutory guidance, refer you for assessment.  He has referred you to the wrong place, if your MHS do not do ASC assessments.  Go back to your GP and ask to be referred to the nearest autism assessment clinic.  Quote the Autism Act and the Autism Strategy if you need to, they are legally binding on him.

I've had a reply from one of the 2 organisations SHINE directed me to. They don't offer diagnosis. That one was the one that seemed more likely to do, out of the two. So it's seems a bit hopeless. Back to GP? COntact PALs? I'm not sure where to go next?