To expect some reimbursement for this private app

[Flyingwiththekids]

We are going private for an ADHD assessment for our daughter, due to a five year nhs waiting list. We are clearing out our savings to pay for it as the GP and school have told us she will benefit from medication, she is really struggling at the moment. We don’t really have another option as she currently can’t do a full day at school because of her symptoms.

so we booked the app, husband booked the day off work, my daughter missed her last day of school, I chased the school to fill in their end of the paperwork and filled in my end. We turn up and the clinician isn’t there. Receptionist chases the doctor. No response. We keep asking, keep being fobbed off. Two hours later our appointment slot is over and the receptionist apologises but says she’s not sure what’s happened. Tells us to go away and write an email to explain what’s happened. I said I wanted to speak to a manager and my details are passed on and he gives me a call. He said he will ‘sort it all out’, and apologised, then the private consultant calls me and apologises and explains the system made an error so didn’t book it on her calendar and she’s rebooked us for a few days time.

Ive emailed and asked for some compensation for the error. The appointment cost us a significant amount of money. We booked with this company because they have glowing 5 star reviews, but feel all of the inconvenience is worth a part refund?

It’s completely about the diagnosis.

If the diagnosis hasn’t been done to NICE guidelines, shared care will not be accepted.

Because you’re medicating something that isn’t diagnosed acceptably to the NHS.

If you had read my previous post though, you’d have seen that prior to this one I wrote a lengthy post about titration and what shared care actually entails.

However, the fact remains that if the diagnosis doesn’t meet NICE guidelines, you’re not getting shared care for the meds whether the psychiatrist requests it or not.

OP you are clearly struggling with your child’s behaviour and I have been there and I feel for you so much.

But the arguably worse position is that you DO get the diagnosis, and you try the meds and they work like a dream. But you can’t keep up with the costs of shared care (only you know if this is the case). They absolutely WILL refuse to prescribe if you can’t keep up with the private appts - legally they must be overseen by the psychiatrist and if you can’t afford these, the meds cannot continue to be prescribed.

With shared care and a stabilised dose, I have still paid at least £1000 a year just on the minimal review appts. In reality my child is severe and I’ve paid tens of thousands over the last 6 years as doses need tweaked, new things have been tried etc. But if it was straightforward that is what I would pay for 2 x 6 monthly reviews per year.

ADHD meds aren’t the golden snitch, you don’t catch it and all the issues go away.

What is far more likely is you’ll get sucked into things getting ‘a bit better’, trying a new dose, needing a review etc.

If you can ONLY afford the diagnosis, unless your clinician can tell you in writing that they’ll by some voodoo magic get you onto NHS care fully immediately (it won’t happen) then I urge you to save your money. You’ll be left with more questions than answers. Every answer and everything you try is another few hundreds of pounds down the drain.

Worth it if you can spare the money but if you really don’t have it, it’s not a process I would start.

You’re joking right?

Would you ask an NHS department to pay for your childcare and petrol under those circumstances? Or would you chalk it up to being just one of those irritating inconveniences that are a part of life, and attend the rescheduled appointment without expecting any freebies or discounts?

Compo nation, honestly 🙄

If the situation had been reversed and you hadn't attended the appointment you'd have lost all your money.

I agree with you @op that there should be some compensation for the time and stress etc.

If they’re prescribing it meets guidance.

You’re implying that they will accept states care if nice guidelines are met. That is incorrect.

I absolutely am not.

The post that you are quoting is in direct response to someone else’s post stating that shared care was refused because they didn’t deal with that provider or something along those lines. I was explaining that that isn’t the case.

Shared care has been pushed out in almost all areas near me, whoever the diagnosis is done by. The aim I believe is to remove it entirely. But that is not relevant to the OP because she’s already had it confirmed by her GP that they will accept shared care.

My concern for her is her lack of understanding of what it entails financially.

This really isn’t true.

As an aside, private psychiatrists can (and do) prescribe things ‘off label’ that the NHS would never do either.