Why is it so hard to get help

Our fae is – undeniably – autistic. My husband and I are not diagnosed, but we’re something spicy. We thought about getting diagnosed as an act of solidarity, and were told the waiting list in our area for adults to be seen is 10 years.

10. Years.

That’s insane. I was thinking about going back to work in that time, but as I need ear defenders (for all those looking for discreet ones I recommend Loop ear plugs) to sit in a cafe, and I can’t be under fluorescent lights without a migraine, the possibility of working in a school lab without a diagnosis to allow ‘reasonable’ accommodations is not going to happen. 

We also, having spoken to her teachers, are trying to get her on the pathway to an ADHD referral. I know there is a lot of crossover, and it may be her masking that is causing the signs, but she has expressed an interest in being either a teacher, a vet or an astronaut in the future. As all these career paths will require further and higher education, she will need to be able to do exams, and that is something where accommodations such as extra time/readers/scribes and – dare I say it – medication may help. She will not get the correct support without the correct diagnosis. 

At present, it’s at least a 2 year wait time for a referral so we thought we’d better start now. I went to my local GP reception and was told ‘Fill in an e-consult’ – so I did. The response on that was: do the self referral on child services and then give me the code. 

What child services??? What code? 

When I asked I was told all the information was in the message and the chat shut down. 

I went to the NHS website, and it said ‘contact your GP’. 

Err…

WTF where do I go from here?! Why is it impossible to start? I can’t even get an appointment to talk to a human, let alone truly start this ridiculous process. 

I am frustrated and remembering why we pay for private medical insurance. It’s a shame it doesn’t cover the assessment. I get the impression the NHS is doing everything in its power to force people to pay for private assessments.

Anyone got a spare £10k?!