UK people - How long did your referral and diagnosis take?

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Do you need several sessions/appointments before a diagnosis can be made? Or are the sessions you are having some kind of therapy following your diagnosis?
Thanks

Getting a referral in the first place is my biggest problem: my GP knows I have AS- she works with so many autistic patients and seen me several times and so she's positive that I do. I tick all of the boxes completely and always have. Yet I still have no formal diagnosis because referral is almost a waste of time.

In Birmingham, where I live, there are 2 people in the NHS qualified to diagnose adults- for 1.5 million people. And to get referred to them, you basically need to be referred for mental health issues and have the possibility of an ASD tagged on to the bottom.
Now when you have no particular mental health issue like me that doesn't need referring to mental health but can be dealt with at the GP surgery, then there's just no chance whatsoever. I almost feel like saying to my GP, stop the counselling for depression, stop the medication, wait until my depression gets worse and then the mental health team might actually accept a referral. It's totally ridiculous.

Having said that, when I saw her the other day, she did suggest that if the depression continues and all the other things too, then I'm going back in January to try to get a referral. So fingers crossed.

The thing is that the ed psych team have said they'll visit once SALT has assessed her. She's only had the triage appointment and we're still awaiting the full SALT assessment. It seems ridiculous and a bit like heel dragging, but my friend's been told the same. Her son is apparently being fast tracked because of his obvious severe dyspraxia, but there's been no movement there either. I'm going to chase up SALT.

Less than 2 months for me. But then, I jumped the queue due to being at university (The main university supporting Aspergers research too, I think).

I don't want to wade in here and upset anyone, I seriously don't but it took over three years for a referral for me. HOWEVER, that was because the GP wouldn't refer and the psychiatrist put all my problems down as 'behavioural'. When I was moved to the adult mental health services at 17 (we had to fight for that alone), it took a further year for them to refer me to a neuropsychiatrist who admitted he knew nothing about AS. He diagnosed my Tourettes and (finally) referred me to the Maudsley hospital in London. I don't know what the situation is like now, because this was going back quite a long time... well I was 14 when I first went into the mental health system (CAMHS) and I am 23 now. So that long!