Need A Private Childrens Mental Health Doctor Urgent - Please Help

MariaMacGowan

Does any body know of any descent mental health assessors doctors for children that are in or near the South Yorkshire are I live in Barnsley, UK as I have spent the last 2 years getting my 7 year old soon assessed for ADHD and/or ASD but because he has trates of both I was given a none diagnoses and no help or support from the NHS/UK. Desperate need help.

JimJams

Sorry to hear about this Maria, is your gp not helping you get referred on again to get some more answers. Dont know of anything private but maybe phone the national autistic society helpline they might be able to help progress things for you.

Heather

Hi. Getting a diagnoses is a nightmare, once you've got it some of your stress will lift....honest! Can your son's school ask for a school assessment. Our area has outreach facilities from the local special needs school and I've known them to sit in classes for days observing a child...often coming out diagnoses a few others staff weren't aware of! Don't give up!

MariaMacGowan

Thank you for your reply.

Hi Marie I haven't been back to the doctors about my son as they only refer me back to the same people. I have e-mailed the National Autistic Society and I am awaiting their reply if I dont get an reply soon I will be phoning them.

Hi Heather my son is already on the waiting list (which for that school is extremely long as there are a lot of kids with mental health problems at this school and she has been off sick herself) to see the school psych as she needs to asses him to decide if he needs 1 to 1 help. I will be chatting to the pastoral care lady at the school to see if she can help me. I have been recommended someone in Sheffield and have contacted her last night again I am waiting to see if she is willing to take my case on. I will let you how things go.

Heather

Hi
The waiting is agony. But be strong and don't give up. Suddenly everything will happen at once. Keep going!

MariaMacGowan

I will keep trying I did get a reply from the Psych in Sheffield she seems to think if I go private it may complicate matter and suggest going back to the docs, I will keep looking for a private doc but may also go back to my doc as well to see if they can do something as well. Whatever comes up 1st I will take.

Naomi

i'm really sorry that you are having such a difficult time with this. You are right to try and pursue all options but just a word of warning, when I went private - just for one appointment with a specialist who was working privately out of the local hospital - the hospital then tried to charge me for all subsequent appointments on the NHS. Its probably easier to see someone whose offices are not in a NHS hospital. Also, while some of my NHS doctors and therapists were very sympathetic to our having gone private others were very clearly not, so it may be best to be discreet. Finally, dont forget the NHS (apparently) employs more people than the Chinese army so files and referrals can get lost. Keep on calling the relevant secretaries, be polite but persistent. Very best of luck, and I hope the situation becomes easier for you.

MariaMacGowan

Hi Naomi

Thanks for the warning, I hope I don't encounter these problems. I have already put in a complaint to PALS regarding NHS telling them I have been forced to go private and that if a private psych does find something wrong with our son I will be taking legal action and going to the media. This is not the 1st time the NHS has let me down especially regarding our son I had to threaten them then that I would go private, PALS and go the media if things was not sorted out the sorted that little problem really quickly but this was the last straw so I went to PALs. I know what you mean about referrals and files taking walks (often when NHS want to hide mistakes they have made conveniently) it happened to a friend of mine after her 3 month old son started having fits after an his inoculations, they knew they was in trouble so his records and files "mysteriously"went missing. That baby is now 16 with severe brain damage, has a mental age of a 1 year old and could die at any moment but the family could not take legal action as the proof was in his medical records that apparently grew legs and went missing as soon as he started fitting. I have been and will be calling the relevant secretaries continuously, I'll be polite but I will be blunt if you know what you mean. Did the private specialist find out what was wrong with your child, if you don't mind me asking?