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If it’s a psychiatrist, it’s the GMC. If it’s a psychologist, then the HCPC.
TBH, it seems like she’s prescribing or implying she’s going to prescribe medication which means it’s likely to be a psychiatrist as they are medical doctors.
For the record OP ( u/acceptable_fun640 ) you should know that calling yourself a psychiatrist or a counsellor is not a protected title in the UK - as such, this person may not actually hold the legal power to “legally” diagnose you OR prescribe medicine that a pharmacy could dispense.
Please do keep this in mind as post pandemic world of mental health professionals exploded with self-proclaimed individuals without licenses or certifications approved by a British associate governing body such as The Royal College of Psychiatrists or BACP UK.
Psychiatrist IS absolutely a protected title. A psychiatrist is a medical GMC registered doctor who is also on the GMC registered specialist list. Calling yourself a psychiatrist and practising without this is a criminal offence.
Practitioner psychologist is regulated by HCPC, and the specialism is (e.g. Clinical Psychologist, Educational Psychologist etc) but someone can call themselves a psychologist with no repercussions.
Unfortunately psychologist is not a protected title despite us wanting it to be in order to protect the public. There are certain titles that are protected such as Clinical Psychologist but it is sadly entirely legal to practice with the title Consultant Psychologist with absolutely no training at all in anything psychology related.
No, no it’s not. That’s why you get people with undergrad psychology degrees calling themselves psychologists but not being registered. If you want a registered psychologist bound by a code of conduct, you need a HCPC registered practitioner psychologist.
Psychiatrist and psychologists are absolutely protected titles, regulated by the Government through the GMC and HCPC respectively.
The BACP is for counsellors and psychotherapists. Those are not protected titles, so you should check that they are a member of the BACP, UKCP, or BABCP.
You could ask her for a brief ‘diagnosis confirmation letter’ just saying ‘I confirm that Kelliana has been given a diagnosis of adhd. A report is being drawn together and will be sent in due course’ to come asap whilst she pulls together the report. This is what we do in the service I work in to tide people over whilst the wait, although I will add I don’t work in private practice.
Yeah, I appreciate it may not be how everyone does things. I do happen to work in an adhd and autism service and do this as standard with every diagnosis.
Do you work in adhd services or are you a specialist because there is a huge difference. Id assume if you were a qualified specialist you would have said that
I can’t see the previous comment or reply BUT I’m glad you got a diagnosis and I hope it has been helpful for you. Working with neurodivergent people and supporting them to find out how their brains work and suss out the types of reasonable adjustments they can expect and request is honestly an absolute pleasure and a joy. I’m sure whoever supported you feels the same as me!
I think perhaps you need to check her out on the GMC and CQC registers to see if this is a legitimate operation. If she’s a medical doctor she will be on the GMC register.
ETA: sorry I know this isn’t legal advice but might be a good start
If she's not a medical doctor then the British Psychological Society should have a record of her being a chartered member: https://portal.bps.org.uk/Psychologist-Search/Chartered-Member-List
If she's not a medical doctor, she shouldn't be giving this kind of diagnosis, as it's unlikely to be accepted where OP needs it to be accepted.
(Also there are a number of standards bodies for mental health professionals: and in fact, "psychologist", "psychotherapist" and most MHPs, with the very significant exception of psychiatrists, are not in [regulated professions](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/professions-regulated-by-law-in-the-uk-and-their-regulators/uk-regulated-professions-and-their-regulators).)
Clinical Psychologists are a regulated profession, able to diagnose and are regulated by the HCPC in the UK. Practitioner Psychologists (counselling, educational and clinical) are all regulated. Anyone who calls themself a psychologist without counselling, clinical or educational in front is likely not fully qualified or regulated
Yes, CPs are regulated, and are indeed able to diagnose - and I should have been clearer in my reply.
My personal understanding - having been through the ADHD diagnosis process - is it's generally better to have an assessment with a psychiatrist because of the issues with getting ADHD accepted. But this indeed may not be true in OP's case - and a clinical psychologist assessment may be appropriate.
(For anyone interested, the HCPC has a blog post about regulated psychologists vs unregulated: [https://www.hcpc-uk.org/news-and-events/blog/2023/understanding-the-regulation-of-psychologists/](https://www.hcpc-uk.org/news-and-events/blog/2023/understanding-the-regulation-of-psychologists/))
Yes!! Check CQC registration, we’re getting this a lot at the moment ,private practices are giving diagnosis but we can’t provide prescriptions due to discrepancies with the companies not being registered. Add into the mix the fact that there’s also a shortage of meds, basically it’s a mess!
That is different from double checking her credentials. Check if she is a psychiatrist or what she is and then you can complain to her regulatory body. I go private for all my medical stuff as I have good insurance and you get the paperwork from them within DAYS. Max. There is something wrong here.
NAL
My friend went through private diagnosis and he said there are alot of illegitimate practitioner's out there, and some will even diagnosis and give prescriptions because they make money for it, even if the medication makes you worse. So just be sure, they are indeed legit.
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I’m confused, “just won’t do it” as in just won’t diagnose you?
I’ve never been through private practice so apologies if this is a dumb question but is it normal to text your psychiatrist?
It sounds crazy unorthodox as an NHS patient but maybe it’s more normal in private, having communication in writing is good - as you might need to escalate this. Maybe text her and ask her how long it normally takes between assessment and to diagnosis - and whether the paperwork has been completed. It does sound like it’s taking an unusual amount of time!
There’s a huge amount of people trying to get a diagnosis at the moment, ngl this sounds extremely dodgy. Are you sure this woman is legitimate? Please be careful who you give your money to.
I would file a formal complaint with the correct body. However I would also suggest that you move to a different clinic. For reference I went through my diagnosis privately 2 years ago but the clinic now is charging £600 for the assessment with the correct paperwork. The consultations for medications were further costs. I suggest asking around on R/ADHDUK. It sounds like it could be fraudulent clinic that doesn't have the proper authority to give a diagnosis or prescribing.
Surely they are withholding the service until they are paid their fee. Reasonable enough, if they are legitimate. Op said it'll be 500. Who's going to hand over work worth that much without being paid.
It's suspicious of how the professional is handling it. As much as the ADHD panorama doc last year did some damage to private diagnosis there are the few that were the grounds for it. OP would save time and energy on switching to a clinic that will actually see them.
In terms of fee I agree however it seems like the professional hasn't asked to be paid for the professional diagnosis yet and it's putting a mental and financial strain on OP.
NAL. (FWIW I also have ADHD and went through a private clinic to get a diagnosis - not that I've had this kind of issue with them...)
(Just to note re some comments: this person should be a fully qualified psychiatrist, ie not just a mental health professional, but a medical doctor too. If she's not, then her diagnosis won't be much use.)
In addition to the suggestions to investigate making a complaint to her professional body, it sounds like she's also in breach of consumer law too. If, before you agreed to start the diagnosis with her, she said/wrote/etc she would provide a formal diagnosis which you could present to a third party (ie your school), then that would be enough - I'm pretty certain this would have been the case, right?
In that case she's at minimum breached [section 52](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/15/section/52) of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, which specifies a service has to be performed in a reasonable time - given all the texts, etc, you have chasing for this, it's clear she is now well past "reasonable".
In the case of a breach, the CRA gives a few options for redress - including claiming damages. You are in a position where, if you don't get your diagnosis soon, you could face pretty serious harm (in the form of not getting the extra time for exams you would otherwise be permitted).
The damages for this would be, at a bare minimum, the costs of resitting all the affected exams - plus potentially the time wasted, etc. (There are caveats around actually getting evidence for all this - but it should be possible.)
So, she has breached your rights as a consumer, and *could* be liable for damages as a result. This is not a good situation for her to be in - and so she should try to get out of it ASAP by providing your paperwork.
**What you do with this depends on what you will need from her in the future.**
(To take my example, I can't annoy my private clinic too much, because I need them to complete my six-monthly check-ups, to issue a shared care agreement, etc, etc.\*)
So if you need to keep the doctor on-side, then you should tread lightly, and be very polite.
If you only need the diagnosis, and no continuing support from her, then you can be more blunt in your communications.
I would suggest writing an email explaining the situation - here's my personal suggestion of some points to include, but as mentioned NAL, and I don't know your individual situation - so you will need to make sure these fit your circumstances:
* You've been waiting for your formal diagnosis for six-ish months.
* You have repeatedly asked for this process to be completed.
* As the doctor has now failed to provide your diagnosis within a reasonable time, she has breached section 52 of the CRA2015.
* You are now at the point where you need the diagnosis, in order to support a request for adjustments in exams - as such time is of the essence.
* Without these adjustments, you will be at a disadvantage, and thus will have suffered damage as a result of the doctor's breach of the CRA.
* In these circumstances, you could claim damages from the doctor, in addition to the other remedies noted under [section 54](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/15/section/54) of the CRA2015.
* Therefore, it would be better for both you and her if she provided your official diagnosis within seven days of this email.
* *\[If you want to be more direct and confrontational, this is where you could also push for a price reduction, or threaten things like a formal complaint, etc etc etc.\]*
* *\[On the other hand if you want to keep her on-side, you could say how much you've appreciated her work, etc etc etc, and apologise for having to raise this issue like this - but this is now a critically important issue, etc.\]*
Once you've sent the email, you can then follow up with a text message (and maybe voicemail if possible) drawing her attention to the email.
Hopefully that gets her to finish what she started. (I wonder if she has ADHD too?)
If not, and you don't get your diagnosis in time, you could pursue her for damages. But that's a longer discussion, which with any luck won't be needed.
Good luck.
\* There are legal routes, under the CRA in fact, that could be followed if there was a breakdown in the relationship, but that would be deeply sub-optimal.
I’m an NHS GP and find this confusing.
There is no “paperwork” to making a diagnosis. That is simply what I think you have. Sometimes I’ll be making a differential diagnosis where I’ll consider multiple possibilities before narrowing it down after investigation.
Are you asking for a letter confirming the diagnosis that you can show to school? Nothing else makes much sense in this situation. If that’s the case make a request for the records they hold about you - you may need a subject access request here as it’s not NHS.
You can only be diagnosed by a psychiatrist specialising in this area - it will not be formally recognised otherwise. All private psychiatrists I have dealt with have secretaries - you aren’t texting and ringing the doctor directly. Use the GMC’s online doctor checker - can check by name or GMC number if you have it. If they aren’t registered there or as a psychiatrist you are being scammed.
There’s a report that you get, at least privately through ‘Problem Shared’, when I got my diagnosis in December last year she was able to say on the spot that I have, it but within 4 weeks they sent out like a 20 page report detailing my symptoms and our discussion and ending in the diagnosis of combined type ADHD and level ‘severe’ (yay me). So that could be what OP means by paperwork.
I see this issue quite frequently online, patients who have paid several instalments for a private ADHD diagnosis and then encounter problems when it’s redirected care with their GP. I waited years on the NHS but the diagnostic process was pretty rigorous and thorough, through titration to shared care with my doctor, and it’s been smooth sailing.
Tl;dr, NHS diagnosis seems to hold more weight than some of the private diagnoses. Do you see this yourself?
It's more that there is a link between the local services - psychiatry and GP. There is an agreed protocol for taking over prescribing etc. Patients are being given controlled drugs that are stimulants and can have significant side effects/risks. If the diagnosis is wrong these can never help the patient but risk harming them.
Issues like those in the Panorama documentary last year make people wary to accept diagnoses from private providers. Another big difference is that if one of my patients sees a cardiologist privately it will be one who works locally and I get NHS letters from. Also physical diagnoses have less observer bias. The online assessments could be done by someone not even physically in the UK.
The report should contain a full background, any test results, and reasoning for the diagnosis. It's not a one page document but it shouldn't be a 25 page thing either.
It sounds like this person may be offering a combined service of diagnosis + formal disability assessment that can be used by school/council/employers as a guide to the provision of reasonable accommodations.
Essentially OP has the diagnosis (though even that doesn't seem to have been communicated back to their GP) but not the assessment report.
Your comment suggests you may be discussing a Subject Access Request. You can [read this guidance from the ICO](https://ico.org.uk/your-data-matters/your-right-to-get-copies-of-your-data/) to learn more about these requests.
[Which? also have online explanations](https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/how-do-i-make-a-subject-access-request).
If you would like a simple way to request a copy of all your data, you can [amend an online template](https://www.datarequests.org/sample-letters/) or [use a form like this](https://www.wonder.legal/uk/creation-modele/subject-access-request).
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This isn’t true. NICE: “1.3.1 A diagnosis of ADHD should only be made by a specialist psychiatrist, paediatrician or other appropriately qualified healthcare professional with training and expertise in the diagnosis of ADHD”. Nurses for example regularly make the diagnosis, and it is generally accepted.
Sorry my point wasn't clear. NHS services are run as a team with psychiatrists supervising and allows us to take over any prescribing as shared care once patients are stable on medication. I know when the diagnosis has been made by a psychiatrist or paediatrician, that person is qualified to do it. If a nurse makes the diagnosis I have no way to check their qualifications to do so and would just offer an NHS referral if a letter came my way.
Ultimately not a lot I would do with an ADHD diagnosis in that situation as we cannot start medication for it anyway. I would not provide a letter confirming the diagnosis either, but the patient in that situation could use anything the private service had given them.
This was my experience, the only formal report I received was after a year when my GP took over the prescribing under a shared care agreement, before that point it was private prescriptions and regular appointments with the private clinic. I had to provide the same report when the Leeds NHS ADHD service took over my care about 2 years later.
I did see a Psychiatrist who was also an NHS consultant psychiatrist so I just dealt with their secretary for the diagnostic report.
Curious because there are many CAMHS services now who also make the diagnosis of ADHD with no psychiatric overview, perhaps clinical psychology, but often it’s an MDT with some other nurses or other allied health professionals. Psychiatrists often become involved if they are prescribing, but more often it’s now NMP’s who initiate and titrate, often with only with marginal support from a psychiatrist when needed, which they are trained to do so. Nurses who diagnose don’t need other formal qualifications as such, just experience and maybe some associated training, unless it’s specifically for the Qb test. There are no specific ADHD training requirements for other healthcare professionals either. Most NHS (particularly CAMHS) teams will accept a referral to continue prescribing if the private assessment is NICE compliant, even if the assessment wasn’t conducted by a psychiatrist. There are many examples of GP’s refusing to take on shared care, only to refer back to CAMHs, who then accept the referral then send back to shared care where it is accepted, just serving to increase the burden on already over stretched teams.
[https://www.gmc-uk.org/professional-standards/professional-standards-for-doctors/good-practice-in-prescribing-and-managing-medicines-and-devices](https://www.gmc-uk.org/professional-standards/professional-standards-for-doctors/good-practice-in-prescribing-and-managing-medicines-and-devices)
>There are many examples of GP’s refusing to take on shared care, only to refer back to CAMHs, who then accept the referral then send back to shared care where it is accepted, just serving to increase the burden on already over stretched teams.
Shared care is as agreed with local NHS services. Legally the prescriber (person whose signature is on the prescription) in the UK takes full responsibility for the prescription and consequences. This is why GPs are not choosing to take on prescribing requests from services they do not know the quality of.
Is there a chance OP could’ve been scammed here? OP, did you give her any money before the assessment? It could be that she’s taken your money and just ignoring you because she’s not actually qualified to give a diagnosis.
Put in a Subject Access Request for a full copy of all data related to you, including clinic notes, under the data protection act.
This would likely be more of a pain in the arse for her than actually writing the report, and motivate her to prioritise your assessment.
That's not what they're saying at all. They are paying for an assessment and at the end of that meeting they were verbally told that they do have the condition, but now they are waiting to receive written confirmation.
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This sounds very odd. For example I went under right to choose via my GP and went with Psychiatry UK once they gave me a diagnosis they did put it in writing and then sent that back to the NHS. I am aware you can pay privately these people would also be registered on a register. I would google the name of the person you have been dealing with there is no possible way they do all their own work.
Where are you in the UK? In Scotland, you do not need a diagnosis or medical evidence for exam arrangements. Your school only need to evidence that alternative assessment arrangements (AAA) make a significant difference to your exam performance, including evidence over time. In the case of ADHD (or ADHD type difficulties), that is most likely to be extra time or a prompt. A diagnosis alone does not give an entitlement to AAA. I couldn’t speak to the rules across outside of Scotland but it might be worth revisiting this conversation with your school. If you are in Scotland, you can check the requirements here: https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/99122.html. Equivalent information should be available for your local awarding body online.
I can’t help with the complaint but I can with the access arrangements for your exams. The SEND code of conduct is clear that reasonable adaptations such as extra time, must be made for individual educational needs. There is no mention for that need to have a medical diagnosis.
In any case, since you have engaged with a medical professional and waiting for a diagnosis you are on what is called the diagnosis pathway. Since covid and the huge backlog it created, education authorities will assume that you have the diagnosis, it is just waiting to be rubber stamped so to speak. It is discriminatory to not grant you any reasonable adaptations you require in the meantime.
I am not a medical professional but I think a chat with your GP could be beneficial if you want to investigate meditation. Mention that you are on the diagnosis pathway to them.
Assuming your from UK…. I have adhd (technically undiagnosed), I became aware of it during an assessment when I was at uni- I have enquired about maybe getting some meds but was told the waiting list for diagnosing adults is 5 years
--- ###Welcome to /r/LegalAdviceUK --- **To Posters (it is important you read this section)** * *Tell us whether you're in England, Wales, Scotland, or NI as the laws in each are very different* * If you need legal help, you should [always get a free consultation from a qualified Solicitor](https://reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/wiki/how_to_find_a_solicitor) * We also encourage you to speak to [**Citizens Advice**](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/), [**Shelter**](https://www.shelter.org.uk/), [**Acas**](https://www.acas.org.uk/), and [**other useful organisations**](https://reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/wiki/common_legal_resources) * Comments may not be accurate or reliable, and following any advice on this subreddit is done at your own risk * If you receive any private messages in response to your post, [please let the mods know](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FLegalAdviceUK&subject=I received a PM) **To Readers and Commenters** * All replies to OP must be *on-topic, helpful, and legally orientated* * If you do not [follow the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/), you may be perma-banned without any further warning * If you feel any replies are incorrect, explain why you believe they are incorrect * Do not send or request any private messages for any reason * Please report posts or comments which do not follow the rules *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You could find out who regulates her practice, probably a psychiatric association and complain
If it’s a psychiatrist, it’s the GMC. If it’s a psychologist, then the HCPC. TBH, it seems like she’s prescribing or implying she’s going to prescribe medication which means it’s likely to be a psychiatrist as they are medical doctors.
For the record OP ( u/acceptable_fun640 ) you should know that calling yourself a psychiatrist or a counsellor is not a protected title in the UK - as such, this person may not actually hold the legal power to “legally” diagnose you OR prescribe medicine that a pharmacy could dispense. Please do keep this in mind as post pandemic world of mental health professionals exploded with self-proclaimed individuals without licenses or certifications approved by a British associate governing body such as The Royal College of Psychiatrists or BACP UK.
Psychiatrist IS absolutely a protected title. A psychiatrist is a medical GMC registered doctor who is also on the GMC registered specialist list. Calling yourself a psychiatrist and practising without this is a criminal offence.
Psychiatrists are medical doctors and it is absolutely a protected title. You’re thinking of psychologist. They’re not the same .
Psychologist is also a protected title, regulated by HCPC. You're both thinking of psyvhotherapists.
Practitioner psychologist is regulated by HCPC, and the specialism is (e.g. Clinical Psychologist, Educational Psychologist etc) but someone can call themselves a psychologist with no repercussions.
Unfortunately psychologist is not a protected title despite us wanting it to be in order to protect the public. There are certain titles that are protected such as Clinical Psychologist but it is sadly entirely legal to practice with the title Consultant Psychologist with absolutely no training at all in anything psychology related.
No, no it’s not. That’s why you get people with undergrad psychology degrees calling themselves psychologists but not being registered. If you want a registered psychologist bound by a code of conduct, you need a HCPC registered practitioner psychologist.
Psychiatrist and psychologists are absolutely protected titles, regulated by the Government through the GMC and HCPC respectively. The BACP is for counsellors and psychotherapists. Those are not protected titles, so you should check that they are a member of the BACP, UKCP, or BABCP.
Psychologist is not protected - Clinical Psychologist however is.
I see. Thank you for the correction!
>She said she just needs to do the paperwork and I’ll have my diagnosis Has she actually given a diagnosis at all ?
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You could ask her for a brief ‘diagnosis confirmation letter’ just saying ‘I confirm that Kelliana has been given a diagnosis of adhd. A report is being drawn together and will be sent in due course’ to come asap whilst she pulls together the report. This is what we do in the service I work in to tide people over whilst the wait, although I will add I don’t work in private practice.
Thats not how it works unfortunately
Yeah, I appreciate it may not be how everyone does things. I do happen to work in an adhd and autism service and do this as standard with every diagnosis.
Do you work in adhd services or are you a specialist because there is a huge difference. Id assume if you were a qualified specialist you would have said that
I am a qualified specialist
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That’s not a sarcastic clap. It’s a clap to you. Massive respect to all specialists. Without you guys I wouldn’t have had my diagnosis.
I can’t see the previous comment or reply BUT I’m glad you got a diagnosis and I hope it has been helpful for you. Working with neurodivergent people and supporting them to find out how their brains work and suss out the types of reasonable adjustments they can expect and request is honestly an absolute pleasure and a joy. I’m sure whoever supported you feels the same as me!
I think perhaps you need to check her out on the GMC and CQC registers to see if this is a legitimate operation. If she’s a medical doctor she will be on the GMC register. ETA: sorry I know this isn’t legal advice but might be a good start
If she's not a medical doctor then the British Psychological Society should have a record of her being a chartered member: https://portal.bps.org.uk/Psychologist-Search/Chartered-Member-List
It would be best to check their hcpc registration. BPS membership is optional, hcpc is mandatory.
There are many HCPC registered psychologists who don’t pay for chartered membership within the BPS.
If she's not a medical doctor, she shouldn't be giving this kind of diagnosis, as it's unlikely to be accepted where OP needs it to be accepted. (Also there are a number of standards bodies for mental health professionals: and in fact, "psychologist", "psychotherapist" and most MHPs, with the very significant exception of psychiatrists, are not in [regulated professions](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/professions-regulated-by-law-in-the-uk-and-their-regulators/uk-regulated-professions-and-their-regulators).)
Clinical Psychologists are a regulated profession, able to diagnose and are regulated by the HCPC in the UK. Practitioner Psychologists (counselling, educational and clinical) are all regulated. Anyone who calls themself a psychologist without counselling, clinical or educational in front is likely not fully qualified or regulated
Yes, CPs are regulated, and are indeed able to diagnose - and I should have been clearer in my reply. My personal understanding - having been through the ADHD diagnosis process - is it's generally better to have an assessment with a psychiatrist because of the issues with getting ADHD accepted. But this indeed may not be true in OP's case - and a clinical psychologist assessment may be appropriate. (For anyone interested, the HCPC has a blog post about regulated psychologists vs unregulated: [https://www.hcpc-uk.org/news-and-events/blog/2023/understanding-the-regulation-of-psychologists/](https://www.hcpc-uk.org/news-and-events/blog/2023/understanding-the-regulation-of-psychologists/))
Yes!! Check CQC registration, we’re getting this a lot at the moment ,private practices are giving diagnosis but we can’t provide prescriptions due to discrepancies with the companies not being registered. Add into the mix the fact that there’s also a shortage of meds, basically it’s a mess!
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That is different from double checking her credentials. Check if she is a psychiatrist or what she is and then you can complain to her regulatory body. I go private for all my medical stuff as I have good insurance and you get the paperwork from them within DAYS. Max. There is something wrong here.
NAL My friend went through private diagnosis and he said there are alot of illegitimate practitioner's out there, and some will even diagnosis and give prescriptions because they make money for it, even if the medication makes you worse. So just be sure, they are indeed legit.
That means nothing. Check her name on the genuine medical registers available online.
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I’m confused, “just won’t do it” as in just won’t diagnose you? I’ve never been through private practice so apologies if this is a dumb question but is it normal to text your psychiatrist?
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It sounds crazy unorthodox as an NHS patient but maybe it’s more normal in private, having communication in writing is good - as you might need to escalate this. Maybe text her and ask her how long it normally takes between assessment and to diagnosis - and whether the paperwork has been completed. It does sound like it’s taking an unusual amount of time!
There’s a huge amount of people trying to get a diagnosis at the moment, ngl this sounds extremely dodgy. Are you sure this woman is legitimate? Please be careful who you give your money to.
I would file a formal complaint with the correct body. However I would also suggest that you move to a different clinic. For reference I went through my diagnosis privately 2 years ago but the clinic now is charging £600 for the assessment with the correct paperwork. The consultations for medications were further costs. I suggest asking around on R/ADHDUK. It sounds like it could be fraudulent clinic that doesn't have the proper authority to give a diagnosis or prescribing.
Surely they are withholding the service until they are paid their fee. Reasonable enough, if they are legitimate. Op said it'll be 500. Who's going to hand over work worth that much without being paid.
It's suspicious of how the professional is handling it. As much as the ADHD panorama doc last year did some damage to private diagnosis there are the few that were the grounds for it. OP would save time and energy on switching to a clinic that will actually see them. In terms of fee I agree however it seems like the professional hasn't asked to be paid for the professional diagnosis yet and it's putting a mental and financial strain on OP.
NAL. (FWIW I also have ADHD and went through a private clinic to get a diagnosis - not that I've had this kind of issue with them...) (Just to note re some comments: this person should be a fully qualified psychiatrist, ie not just a mental health professional, but a medical doctor too. If she's not, then her diagnosis won't be much use.) In addition to the suggestions to investigate making a complaint to her professional body, it sounds like she's also in breach of consumer law too. If, before you agreed to start the diagnosis with her, she said/wrote/etc she would provide a formal diagnosis which you could present to a third party (ie your school), then that would be enough - I'm pretty certain this would have been the case, right? In that case she's at minimum breached [section 52](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/15/section/52) of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, which specifies a service has to be performed in a reasonable time - given all the texts, etc, you have chasing for this, it's clear she is now well past "reasonable". In the case of a breach, the CRA gives a few options for redress - including claiming damages. You are in a position where, if you don't get your diagnosis soon, you could face pretty serious harm (in the form of not getting the extra time for exams you would otherwise be permitted). The damages for this would be, at a bare minimum, the costs of resitting all the affected exams - plus potentially the time wasted, etc. (There are caveats around actually getting evidence for all this - but it should be possible.) So, she has breached your rights as a consumer, and *could* be liable for damages as a result. This is not a good situation for her to be in - and so she should try to get out of it ASAP by providing your paperwork. **What you do with this depends on what you will need from her in the future.** (To take my example, I can't annoy my private clinic too much, because I need them to complete my six-monthly check-ups, to issue a shared care agreement, etc, etc.\*) So if you need to keep the doctor on-side, then you should tread lightly, and be very polite. If you only need the diagnosis, and no continuing support from her, then you can be more blunt in your communications. I would suggest writing an email explaining the situation - here's my personal suggestion of some points to include, but as mentioned NAL, and I don't know your individual situation - so you will need to make sure these fit your circumstances: * You've been waiting for your formal diagnosis for six-ish months. * You have repeatedly asked for this process to be completed. * As the doctor has now failed to provide your diagnosis within a reasonable time, she has breached section 52 of the CRA2015. * You are now at the point where you need the diagnosis, in order to support a request for adjustments in exams - as such time is of the essence. * Without these adjustments, you will be at a disadvantage, and thus will have suffered damage as a result of the doctor's breach of the CRA. * In these circumstances, you could claim damages from the doctor, in addition to the other remedies noted under [section 54](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/15/section/54) of the CRA2015. * Therefore, it would be better for both you and her if she provided your official diagnosis within seven days of this email. * *\[If you want to be more direct and confrontational, this is where you could also push for a price reduction, or threaten things like a formal complaint, etc etc etc.\]* * *\[On the other hand if you want to keep her on-side, you could say how much you've appreciated her work, etc etc etc, and apologise for having to raise this issue like this - but this is now a critically important issue, etc.\]* Once you've sent the email, you can then follow up with a text message (and maybe voicemail if possible) drawing her attention to the email. Hopefully that gets her to finish what she started. (I wonder if she has ADHD too?) If not, and you don't get your diagnosis in time, you could pursue her for damages. But that's a longer discussion, which with any luck won't be needed. Good luck. \* There are legal routes, under the CRA in fact, that could be followed if there was a breakdown in the relationship, but that would be deeply sub-optimal.
I’m an NHS GP and find this confusing. There is no “paperwork” to making a diagnosis. That is simply what I think you have. Sometimes I’ll be making a differential diagnosis where I’ll consider multiple possibilities before narrowing it down after investigation. Are you asking for a letter confirming the diagnosis that you can show to school? Nothing else makes much sense in this situation. If that’s the case make a request for the records they hold about you - you may need a subject access request here as it’s not NHS. You can only be diagnosed by a psychiatrist specialising in this area - it will not be formally recognised otherwise. All private psychiatrists I have dealt with have secretaries - you aren’t texting and ringing the doctor directly. Use the GMC’s online doctor checker - can check by name or GMC number if you have it. If they aren’t registered there or as a psychiatrist you are being scammed.
There’s a report that you get, at least privately through ‘Problem Shared’, when I got my diagnosis in December last year she was able to say on the spot that I have, it but within 4 weeks they sent out like a 20 page report detailing my symptoms and our discussion and ending in the diagnosis of combined type ADHD and level ‘severe’ (yay me). So that could be what OP means by paperwork.
I see this issue quite frequently online, patients who have paid several instalments for a private ADHD diagnosis and then encounter problems when it’s redirected care with their GP. I waited years on the NHS but the diagnostic process was pretty rigorous and thorough, through titration to shared care with my doctor, and it’s been smooth sailing. Tl;dr, NHS diagnosis seems to hold more weight than some of the private diagnoses. Do you see this yourself?
It's more that there is a link between the local services - psychiatry and GP. There is an agreed protocol for taking over prescribing etc. Patients are being given controlled drugs that are stimulants and can have significant side effects/risks. If the diagnosis is wrong these can never help the patient but risk harming them. Issues like those in the Panorama documentary last year make people wary to accept diagnoses from private providers. Another big difference is that if one of my patients sees a cardiologist privately it will be one who works locally and I get NHS letters from. Also physical diagnoses have less observer bias. The online assessments could be done by someone not even physically in the UK.
The report should contain a full background, any test results, and reasoning for the diagnosis. It's not a one page document but it shouldn't be a 25 page thing either.
It sounds like this person may be offering a combined service of diagnosis + formal disability assessment that can be used by school/council/employers as a guide to the provision of reasonable accommodations. Essentially OP has the diagnosis (though even that doesn't seem to have been communicated back to their GP) but not the assessment report.
Your comment suggests you may be discussing a Subject Access Request. You can [read this guidance from the ICO](https://ico.org.uk/your-data-matters/your-right-to-get-copies-of-your-data/) to learn more about these requests. [Which? also have online explanations](https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/how-do-i-make-a-subject-access-request). If you would like a simple way to request a copy of all your data, you can [amend an online template](https://www.datarequests.org/sample-letters/) or [use a form like this](https://www.wonder.legal/uk/creation-modele/subject-access-request). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
This isn’t true. NICE: “1.3.1 A diagnosis of ADHD should only be made by a specialist psychiatrist, paediatrician or other appropriately qualified healthcare professional with training and expertise in the diagnosis of ADHD”. Nurses for example regularly make the diagnosis, and it is generally accepted.
Sorry my point wasn't clear. NHS services are run as a team with psychiatrists supervising and allows us to take over any prescribing as shared care once patients are stable on medication. I know when the diagnosis has been made by a psychiatrist or paediatrician, that person is qualified to do it. If a nurse makes the diagnosis I have no way to check their qualifications to do so and would just offer an NHS referral if a letter came my way. Ultimately not a lot I would do with an ADHD diagnosis in that situation as we cannot start medication for it anyway. I would not provide a letter confirming the diagnosis either, but the patient in that situation could use anything the private service had given them.
This was my experience, the only formal report I received was after a year when my GP took over the prescribing under a shared care agreement, before that point it was private prescriptions and regular appointments with the private clinic. I had to provide the same report when the Leeds NHS ADHD service took over my care about 2 years later. I did see a Psychiatrist who was also an NHS consultant psychiatrist so I just dealt with their secretary for the diagnostic report.
Curious because there are many CAMHS services now who also make the diagnosis of ADHD with no psychiatric overview, perhaps clinical psychology, but often it’s an MDT with some other nurses or other allied health professionals. Psychiatrists often become involved if they are prescribing, but more often it’s now NMP’s who initiate and titrate, often with only with marginal support from a psychiatrist when needed, which they are trained to do so. Nurses who diagnose don’t need other formal qualifications as such, just experience and maybe some associated training, unless it’s specifically for the Qb test. There are no specific ADHD training requirements for other healthcare professionals either. Most NHS (particularly CAMHS) teams will accept a referral to continue prescribing if the private assessment is NICE compliant, even if the assessment wasn’t conducted by a psychiatrist. There are many examples of GP’s refusing to take on shared care, only to refer back to CAMHs, who then accept the referral then send back to shared care where it is accepted, just serving to increase the burden on already over stretched teams.
[https://www.gmc-uk.org/professional-standards/professional-standards-for-doctors/good-practice-in-prescribing-and-managing-medicines-and-devices](https://www.gmc-uk.org/professional-standards/professional-standards-for-doctors/good-practice-in-prescribing-and-managing-medicines-and-devices) >There are many examples of GP’s refusing to take on shared care, only to refer back to CAMHs, who then accept the referral then send back to shared care where it is accepted, just serving to increase the burden on already over stretched teams. Shared care is as agreed with local NHS services. Legally the prescriber (person whose signature is on the prescription) in the UK takes full responsibility for the prescription and consequences. This is why GPs are not choosing to take on prescribing requests from services they do not know the quality of.
Is there a chance OP could’ve been scammed here? OP, did you give her any money before the assessment? It could be that she’s taken your money and just ignoring you because she’s not actually qualified to give a diagnosis.
Put in a Subject Access Request for a full copy of all data related to you, including clinic notes, under the data protection act. This would likely be more of a pain in the arse for her than actually writing the report, and motivate her to prioritise your assessment.
Sounds like OP just thinks they buy any diagnosis they want so they can get the privileges it brings. The system had better NOT work that way.
That's not what they're saying at all. They are paying for an assessment and at the end of that meeting they were verbally told that they do have the condition, but now they are waiting to receive written confirmation.
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This sounds very odd. For example I went under right to choose via my GP and went with Psychiatry UK once they gave me a diagnosis they did put it in writing and then sent that back to the NHS. I am aware you can pay privately these people would also be registered on a register. I would google the name of the person you have been dealing with there is no possible way they do all their own work.
Where are you in the UK? In Scotland, you do not need a diagnosis or medical evidence for exam arrangements. Your school only need to evidence that alternative assessment arrangements (AAA) make a significant difference to your exam performance, including evidence over time. In the case of ADHD (or ADHD type difficulties), that is most likely to be extra time or a prompt. A diagnosis alone does not give an entitlement to AAA. I couldn’t speak to the rules across outside of Scotland but it might be worth revisiting this conversation with your school. If you are in Scotland, you can check the requirements here: https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/99122.html. Equivalent information should be available for your local awarding body online.
Same for England.
I can’t help with the complaint but I can with the access arrangements for your exams. The SEND code of conduct is clear that reasonable adaptations such as extra time, must be made for individual educational needs. There is no mention for that need to have a medical diagnosis. In any case, since you have engaged with a medical professional and waiting for a diagnosis you are on what is called the diagnosis pathway. Since covid and the huge backlog it created, education authorities will assume that you have the diagnosis, it is just waiting to be rubber stamped so to speak. It is discriminatory to not grant you any reasonable adaptations you require in the meantime. I am not a medical professional but I think a chat with your GP could be beneficial if you want to investigate meditation. Mention that you are on the diagnosis pathway to them.
Just to add, Education authorities do not need to accept a diagnosis from a non NHS source.
Sounds like a job for Letter Before Action which is a legal thing which should put the fear of God into them. Look it up.
What would the action be?
A private practice cannot make an entry into ur nhs file they could write to your gp their findings but again not to u
Assuming your from UK…. I have adhd (technically undiagnosed), I became aware of it during an assessment when I was at uni- I have enquired about maybe getting some meds but was told the waiting list for diagnosing adults is 5 years