To think that £700 for speech and language assessment is a rip off

[rocketjam]

DS has a speech and language disorder. He has made a lot of progress with support from NHS speech and language therapists, and the school, but he is not quite there yet - his speech is still not as clear as it should be for his age.

He has been discharged from local S&L services as they prioritise more severe cases - with all the cuts, etc they run a very thin service.

I sent a few emails yesterday to see how much it would be to see a private speech and language therapist - the assessment was quoted between £150 and £250, but one particular therapist quoted me £700. Yes, that's £700 for a two-hour assessment. Goodness me. Is it just me or is this just a complete rip off? I checked on my tea when I saw the email. IABU?

I meant choked on my tea!

I have read similar estimates for other types of private SEN assessment. (sorry). I imagine the £700 person won't get much business if others are offering to do same job for £200, though.

Do you really need another assessment? Could you get hold of his NHS records & they use them to design a programme for your child?

I've used a private SALT in N London who charges something like £75 per hour with an extra hour if you want a written report, so a two hour assessment plus report would be around £230. £700 is bonkers!

Was it a regular assessment or a tribunal report? Regular assessment prices are reasonable, but as soon as tribunal is added to the mix prices rocket and £800 is not unusual.

I'm a SLT, not private though. I believe 200-300 is the going rate for a full assessment + report. 700 does sound extremely high.