Petherton Resource Centre Medical Services in Bristol

Reviews

1. George Finley Seymour ★☆☆☆☆

   I came to BASS seeking an autism diagnosis and left in tears. I was told that because the clinician felt comfortable around me, I couldn’t be autistic — a statement that is not only highly ableist but also reveals troubling assumptions about what autism “should” look like. This approach is dismissive, harmful, and fails to acknowledge the diversity of autistic presentation, especially in adults. Their diagnostic letter claims adherence to the DSM, but after reviewing the criteria with another specialist, it became clear that BASS did not follow the DSM guidelines in any way. This raises serious concerns about the training of those conducting assessments at this centre. Given that BASS serves a large area of England, I believe a thorough review of their practices is urgently needed. In my opinion, they are not fit to carry out autism diagnoses, and I sincerely hope BASS is no longer used in the future for the safety, dignity, and wellbeing of the people seeking answers there.

   1 year ago
2. Lou ★☆☆☆☆

   I've never in my life experienced such awful treatment from people who are supposed to support you in your time of need. I had one key worker out right tell me that that I DID NOT HAVE an assessment with a nurse at their centre. Even though my husband was present with me and I had two separate assessments. We told her to not come to my home for the appointment as she was very condescending. She turned up at our house anyway. How rude. When I tried to complain to Petherton, they wouldn't answer a simple question. They were very rude and started to raise their voice and call me a service user and suggest I needed intervention from a mental health establishment. No wonder nobody feels safe with these people. Horrible and untrustworthy. Something needs to be done about this place. It's so sad that these are the people we are relying on to help vulnerable people when they are at such a low place in their lives xx

   1 year ago
3. Katy Hardy ★☆☆☆☆

   I had a difficult experience with the mental health nurse and psychiatrist I was seeing. While both were kind, they unfortunately lacked the necessary training to manage more complex cases. Their understanding of autism was outdated, particularly in relation to high-masking females, and they seemed unaware of the latest research on the subject. The mental health nurse, in particular, appeared to struggle in his role, even making up his own narrative by misrepresenting my words. These fabricated stories were then used as a rationale for not providing me with a diagnosis. Additionally, my mother was unfairly judged based on assumptions about her undiagnosed ADHD, which were entirely inaccurate, and these judgments were then used to dismiss my experiences and concerns. One of the most frustrating aspects was how my special interests were minimized. Rather than recognizing them as a core component of my autism, they dismissed them entirely, failing to acknowledge the intensity and significance these interests hold for autistic individuals. Throughout the process, it seemed that they were more focused on the possibility of ADHD, even though I was seeking an autism diagnosis. They appeared unable to consider that it is possible to have both. I was told I might have ADHD, and then, in the final assessment, informed that I might not have that either. This felt like another way to dismiss my concerns. Despite being informed of my worsening mental state, they provided me with no support, and I found myself sinking into a deeper crisis, even becoming suicidal and experiencing a profound identity crisis. Moreover, I was never given the results of my ADOS assessment. Instead, I was told that I had laughed during the session, and this was used as evidence against my autism diagnosis. It was suggested that autistic people can't laugh, which was not only inaccurate but also dismissive of the complex reasons an autistic person may laugh, such as mirroring others to manage anxiety in a social situation. A more informed professional would have explored this further. This experience also felt particularly ableist, as I know a diagnosed autistic individual who is a comedian, and this completely contradicted the conclusions made during my assessment. In addition to the above, I was told that I was very anxious, then later told I wasn't anxious at all, only to finally be diagnosed with mild social anxiety. This felt dismissive of the real and ongoing struggles I’ve faced with communication and social interactions, which have been clearly indicative of autism throughout my life. It felt like a quick dismissal rather than a thorough evaluation. I would not recommend this service to anyone with complex issues, as they clearly lack the specialized training needed to provide accurate diagnoses and meaningful support. I'm currently seeking a second opinion with a much better service with more up to date training and better knowledge of current research on female autism.

   1 year ago

1. Slummy but Yummy Mummy ★☆☆☆☆

   Wish I had read reviews, I can say my experience was the same, almost word for word, again said my trauma were what caused my traits not autism, she was a SALT , no qualifications in mental health, how can she say that's what caused my issues. My son, who has autism, his senior consultant diagnosed me, this was just meant to be paper filling as she wasn't able to officially diagnosed me

   almost 3 years ago
2. Robyn Starkie ★☆☆☆☆

   Absolute joke of a place. I had an appointment at 11:30 on 23rd december. I was early and was left waiting 30 minutes past my appointment time for them to tell me the person I was seeing was off ill. They had all morning to let me know this. I rang up today (28th december) to find out when my appointment was rescheduled for and was left on hold for 53 minutes. I hung up and rang them again and was told I was lying and that I wasn't on hold for that long even know I have all the proof. THE LADY ON THE PHONE COULDN'T EVEN GET MY NAME RIGHT!! CALLED ME RIBENA!!!

   almost 3 years ago
3. Emma James ★☆☆☆☆

   if i could give 0 stars then i would. I called and was hung up on 3 times, was on hold for over an hour. poor service. would not recommend.

   almost 3 years ago

1. G Richardson ★☆☆☆☆

   EDIT: this resource centre is breaking the law as per the 2009 Autism Act: it is written in this law you have a legal right to an autism ASSESSMENT, not a triage, not a "professional" talking to you on skype for 30 mins to decide your not autistic. if you are indeed refused an assessment DO NOT ACCEPT IT and quote the law My wife was referred here for an autism assessment. She received a triage appointment and during which she was told all her traits are due to trauma and that she isn't Autistic. After googling "refused autism assessment" I found out there's a very simple 10 question multiple choice questionnaire to give you a basic idea, she scored 8. Then found out there's a 50 question version. She scored 48 out of 50 yet this place says she doesn't need an assessment and didn't even really ask any questions at all that would give a professional an idea of if someone is on the spectrum. Guess we'll have to go private

   almost 3 years ago
2. Cher Groves ★☆☆☆☆

   If I could put 0 I would... I watched staff enter whilst I sat there in the waiting room reception wasn't even open let in by a staff member. Had appointment at 9am didn't get seen till 9.30 whilst watching all staff enter getting ready to do their shift. Appointment was useless wasn't listened to and felt like I was going around in a circle I gave up trying to explain realising they didn't care and wasn't listening so I just wanted to get out and go home. I left feeling like I never want to go back or get help I needed and have to do everything myself feeling alone.

   almost 3 years ago

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