Diagnosis without formal assessment

Hi all

we finally got an appointment with a community paediatrician at the start of February for my 12 year old daughter who we have suspected is on the spectrum. We spent 1 hour with the CP where my daughter was uncommunicative and teary. The CP then asked me to come in separately to my daughter so we could speak more openly. This took place about 2 weeks later. In this meeting after further questioning regarding my daughter she said that her suspicions were that my daughter was on the spectrum and she would proceed with the ASD assessment. Nearly 3 months of chasing up I speak to her again and she tells me she will be sending us a letter confirming the diagnosis and that a formal assessment is not required. Are we being fobbed off here? My understanding is that autism is diagnosed by a multidisciplinary team? Any help would be much appreciated.