Hello

I’m posting this on behalf of my SIL who doesn’t do social media. I wasn’t 100% sure what to put in the title so I hope it’s ok.

ENGLAND

My SIL has recently started a private assessment for autism for her child (12y). She researched the various places very carefully and went for a place whose website says it ‘complies fully’ with NICE guidelines, which is important to her because her local authority have been known to be quite selective about what they will accept.

Fast forward to part 2 of the assessment and they were going to send a ‘clinician’ who would not ‘fully comply’ with NICE guidelines (ie their profession is not on the list of qualified professionals recommended by NICE). My SIL queried this and was given, in my opinion as a HCP, a fob-off answer. She told them she would like a professional listed on the NICE guidelines to carry out the assessment, as they state they will on their website. Additionally her child has difficulties associated with ASC that would be best assessed by one of these NICE recommended professionals (NICE wording is ‘In each area the multidisciplinary group should be set up. The core membership should include…’) which my SIL feels would make it even more important for the correct professionals to assess their child. The centre are aware of this.

So now she has been waiting a while and part 2 of the assessment has not been carried out, plus they are now saying if she would like one of these recommended professionals to assess, she will have to pay more than the rate advertised on the website. I’ve checked their t&c and there is no mention of extra costs.

SIL wants to raise a complaint; the extra wait and uncertainty is not helping her child who is already super anxious (which can be part of ASC) and she feels that if the website says that they fully comply with NICE guidelines, they should do so and not make things difficult for her if she reasonably expects them to do that.

Question: is this breach of contract, something to do with advertising or something else?

Thank you for any advice