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Comment on NHS bodies in England impose two-year minimum wait for ADHD and autism assessments

fakeman_pretendname@feddit.uk ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

I don’t quite understand how a “minimum wait” makes any sense. I understand a “likely waiting list time”, such as “we process this many per day, and there are this many on the list, therefore it’ll take about three years for anyone newly applying to be seen”.

They process a certain amount per day, so after two years, you’re either at the front of the queue or you’re not. Unless they catch up with the waiting list and then say “we’re not doing any assessments for three months, because we have a minimum wait time”.

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ambitiousslab@feddit.uk ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
I had to look at wikipedia to fully understand it. It’s do do with this right:

A patient not seen in the 18-week period without just cause has the legal right to go private at the NHS’s expense.

From the article:

“Minimum waits” after referral by a GP mean people in the areas affected cannot seek an assessment by a private sector provider. That is even though private clinics now undertake half of NHS-funded assessments of ADHD and a third of those for autism, because many patients exercise their legal right to choose non-NHS care, given the NHS’s own limited capacity to do the assessments.

Such curbs by the NHS are likely to force those who can afford it to pay a private provider for an assessment for themselves or their child, which can cost several thousand pounds. They are being implemented at a time when there are 960,000 people in England waiting for an ADHD assessment and another 295,000 awaiting one for autism.

So basically, it means that you can’t exercise your legal right to get treatment from a private provider, paid for by the NHS, if the NHS can’t see you within 18 weeks. Instead, that pushes people who want to get evaluated within 2 years, to pay for private assessment themselves.

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- fakeman_pretendname@feddit.uk ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  That’s really useful, thanks - and actually makes a lot more sense of the article. Thanks for looking that up and explaining it clearly :)
  
  Now understanding a bit more, I’m not too angry about it. Some of these private assessors are doing a half-arsed job, then charging the NHS a fortune for it, then leaving the NHS to deal with their shoddy half-done assessments.
  
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  - DakRalter@thelemmy.club ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
    Oh no don’t say that! I have my assessment under right to choose on Thursday and I’m already worried!
    
    I had to wait 18 months just for my GP to refer me. I spent 3x as long waiting for a referral as I did on the actual waiting list. If I did it via the NHS, it would have been another 18 months on top of that 18 months.
    
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    DakRalter@thelemmy.club ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
    I first asked for a referral in 2016. Was told I got my autism referral, but I was just referred to the local mental health services. First psychologist said I sound like I have Aspergers (as it was then) but she can’t diagnose. I got called for another appointment and was told by the second doctor that I can’t have Aspergers because I know what “what’s up” means. She also put a load of lies in my write up and diagnosed me anxiety disorder NOS and tried to push SSRIs on me. The moment I said Aspergers (neither of the doctors even knew I was seeking an assessment), she got antagonistic. “Why now? Why now? Yes but why now?” My mum was with me and she said it was obvious from the start that doctor didn’t want to send me for testing.
    
    So that’s why it took me another 8 years to try again and mostly because I had a really good phobia therapist at the time who pushed me to try again. Ironically, my phobia therapist knew more about neurodivergence than my anxiety therapist, who outright said, “I don’t know anything about autism and I’m not here for that.” And she meant it.
    
    So yeah mental health services in England suck. My uncle died while sectioned.
    
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    Noodle07@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
    My assessment came soooo late I was in my 20s, but when I started looking into it my psychiatrist basically said inchallah and tossed Ritalin at me to check. Fuck the hospital wait list 🤷
    
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    fakeman_pretendname@feddit.uk ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
    Oh, I fully believe it - and I don’t think they should bin off people already on the waiting lists. My objection is towards the NHS paying a few grand to a private company for each assessment, even if it’s shit, as opposed to being properly funded to do it themselves. You have my sympathies.
    
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