Nationally, we are taking steps to improve autism assessment and diagnosis services. NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance for autism assessment services on 5 April 2023. These documents are intended to help the National Health Service improve autism assessment services and improve the experience for adults and children who are going through an autism assessment. In 2023/24, £4.2 million is available nationally to improve services for autistic children and young people, including autism assessment services.<\/p>
It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available the appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including autism assessments and diagnosis services, in line with relevant clinical guidelines.<\/p>
In respect of children and young people in County Durham, the NHS North East and North Cumbria ICB has identified challenges with their neurodevelopmental pathways, which include access to autism assessments and diagnosis, and have prioritised a programme of work to address these challenges. The work will look at new investment, capacity and needs, and ways to reduce the current backlogs.<\/p>
In addition, the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust is taking actions to support improvements for families on the neurodevelopmental pathway, which also includes autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, including running three pilots to test different methods of improving the efficiency of the pathway. While families are waiting to access a neurodevelopmental assessment, including for autism, they can access the County Durham bubble of support, which provides advice and guidance before, during and after assessment.<\/p>
In respect of adults, keeping in touch processes are in place locally to ensure regular contact is maintained with patients awaiting assessment for autism, and to ensure that they are supported throughout the pathway. Increasing support for adults on the neurodevelopmental pathway, including pre-assessment support, is a priority for the ICB and local authority in 2024/25.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4492", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Maria Caulfield"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Lewes"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Maria Caulfield"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2024-02-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2024-02-26T11:18:51.03Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2024-02-16", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Autism: County Durham"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to reduce waiting times for (a) assessment for and (b) diagnosis of autism in County Durham.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4753", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mary Kelly Foy"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "City of Durham"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mary Kelly Foy"} ], "uin" : "14315"} ], "itemsPerPage" : 10, "page" : 0, "startIndex" : 1, "totalResults" : 1, "type" : ["http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#ListEndpoint", "http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#Page"]} }