Most of the process for ours is the same, apart from being able to self-refer - so once I'd submitted my referral form they sent me the screening forms and said "you must return these within 4 weeks", and having assessed those they've decided that I qualify for a formal assessment. I didn't find the forms too bad - it was basically two multiple-choice questionnaires, very like any online "autism tests" you might have done, plus a third which was supposed to be filled out by someone who knew you as a child - and the thing that really made the difference to me was not having to go via my GP. (I find it hard to convince GPs that I'm depressed even when I'm suffering pretty much constant suicidal ideation, so I don't rate my chances of convincing one that I'm autistic.)