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Akunin

Making a complaint? Assessment etc.

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Hi.

 

I have been for my assessment for ASD/AS and paid to do so privately as due to my age NHS wouldn't spare the funds.

 

My first appointment should have been an hour long, however the consultant came down almost half an hour late and then told us at the end of the appointment how we MUST be on time for the following appointment, almost acting as though we were the cause of it being delayed, when we definitely arrived on time.

 

My second appointment was a total disaster, we turned up about 15-20 minutes early and he came down and told me he had to leave the hospital and would be 5 minutes, however 5 minutes passed and turned into more like 30 minutes. I became very agitated and when he did arrive for the appointment he told us it was a family emergency. My mom did tell him that I was getting agitated as he had told me 5 minutes and wasn't and to this he just smiled and said "Oh!" This session should have also lasted an hour but again he cut it short as we finished well before the hour was up.

 

It was left that he would go over the information he had and send me a letter within 4 weeks with the results, I am still waiting and it has now been around 5/6 weeks. My mom had great difficulty trying to contact them via phone so she emailed and had a reply saying he had a backlog and also some annual leave so hadn't got round to it, but I should have the letter this week.

 

I personally feel this is very bad practice and feel the need to make a complaint, however I do know due to the way I am I can feel the need to complain about things others wouldn't.

 

So does anyone else feel this would be grounds for complaint or not?

 

-Tsukimi

Edited by Tsukimi

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Do you feel that they did a thorough assessment? Was it all based on talking about past history, or did you undergo a specific standardised assessment?

 

Did you and your mum know exactly what this consultant was going to do prior to the appointment? And did they do that?

 

If you did complain, what would you be complaining about? His timekeeping? Or do you feel he did not do a thorough consultation?

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Thanks everyone for replying.

 

Sally - I am really not sure how I feel about the assessment itself, the first session was a fairly basic interview with questions like "Why do I want a diagnosis?" and slightly covering my background and the reasons that have led us to believe it could be ASD/AS. The second interview was all read from a form which he marked off and added notes to, he was very abrupt and quite rude through this appointment I felt, as he said "I just want yes or no answers" and when I wasn't sure of questions or he asked my mom questions about my past which you can't always give yes or no answers to, he would often cut us off and repeat that he just wanted yes or no answers. Looking back I assume he didn't want to waste extra time as he was behind due to his family emergency cutting into what should have been my appointment.

 

We were just told that it would be two, one hour sessions and the things it would cover.

 

I think the complaint would firstly be about the fact we paid him for these 2 hour sessions and didn't get our full time and the second session did feel extremely rushed along. I also do feel the time keeping needs to be mentioned as why should my appointment be cut short because he had a private matter to attend to. I am annoyed at the time taken to send me my results too, why tell us 4 weeks and then not bother to tell us it would be longer due to a backlog (which in my opinion is not my problem) and him having some annual leave which should have been known at the time he told us it would be 4 weeks. I do feel at times he really didn't understand my anxieties or take them into consideration and I think this is an integral part of establishing trust between a doctor and patient.

 

Special talent - I must admit I didn't think about contacting him first, but will certainly try that.

 

Cathcart - That is what I felt. It seems very unprofessional to me especially as you said we paid for a private service. We had to pay on the first visit as he said that was his practice, but still asked on the second if we had paid.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I wouldn't rush into complaining just yet. It might be worth waiting a couple of weeks more for the report to come and then, if you feel you haven't got satisfaction or the result you want, then contacting him with your concerns. If you rush to complain before he has finished the report it might influence what he says and it's always good if we keep positive relationships with professionals, even when we feel let down by them. I know from experience that I have complained in the past and it has always come back to bite me in the butt, because at the end of the day these are the people with the power to say what they want and they are the ones usually listened to and respected.

 

I know it's annoying and it sounds like he didn't give you the time you wanted or needed, but he could have got all the information he needed in less than an hour and so still might come up with a comprehensive report which gives you an outcome you are happy with, so I would give him a bit more time. Sometimes things do come along and happen, even to doctors, so I guess you could cut him a little slack and it could benefit you as well not to go piling in with criticisms before you've seen the results of his work.

 

All the best.

 

~ Mel ~

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I must admit I am rash to make decisions like this, especially when under added stress.

 

I have now had my diagnosis and he has diagnosed me with ASD, though not given me much information after that. Not knowing what is standard procedure, I don't know if there should be more information or not? I am planning on seeing if he can offer any more insight into my diagnosis as I think it will help me in the long run.

 

Thanks Mel :)

 

-Tsukimi

 

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Hope your official diagnosis helps you and glad it came through without you having to wait much longer. I must admit, I'm always quick to complain too, but experience has taught me it's always worth just taking a breath and giving people a bit more time before I lumber in there and ruin relationships, which I'm pretty good at doing!

 

All the best.

 

~ Mel ~

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I am very much the same, when I am caught up in something I don't really think of the outcome. I will let it all settle before I decide on what I plan to do.

 

-Tsukimi

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