Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the availability of mental health units for children with autism in England.

NHS England is committed to improving health and care services so that more people with a learning disability and autistic people can live in the community, with the right support, and close to home.

There are 75 mental health units for children and young people and all these units can provide care and treatment for autistic young people. Reasonable adjustments should be considered for all autistic people who are admitted to inpatient mental health services. NHS England has also published the sensory friendly resource pack that gives guidance about healthcare environments being suitable for autistic people which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/sensory-friendly-resource-pack/

As of 12 May 2023, the number of beds available exceeded the number of children and young people awaiting an assessment or admission to a specialist mental health inpatient unit. However, before admitting a child or young person a number of factors including what treatment may be required, complexity within the unit, patient mix, distance from home/family, Care Quality Commission rating and staffing capacity amongst others must be considered to ensure the admission is in the best interests of the young person and their family.

In January, NHS England published the co-produced Dynamic support register and Care (Education) and Treatment Review policy which focuses on local systems being able to identify people with increasing health and care needs who may require extra support, care and treatment in the community as a safe and effective alternative to admission to a mental health hospital, and ensuring that Care, Education and Treatment Reviews continue to be effective in ensuring people are receiving appropriate care and treatment.