Autism and Special Educational Needs: South West
(asked on 31st March 2025) - View Source
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time was for (a) autism assessments and (b) SEND assessments in (i) Bournemouth West constituency, (b) Dorset and (c) the South West in the latest period for which data is available.
Information on autism assessments is not held centrally in the format requested, but may be held by individual providers or integrated care boards (ICBs). Some relevant information is available on autism assessment waiting times for the NHS Dorset ICB and the South West commissioning region.
In the NHS Dorset ICB, the Autism Waiting Time Statistics published by NHS England show that there were a total of 1,000 patients, of all ages, with an open suspected autism referral in December 2024, the latest available data. The median waiting time of all patients in this ICB with an open suspected autism referral, where their first care contact was in the quarter, was 62 days in December 2024.
In the South West commissioning region, the Autism Waiting Time Statistics show that there were a total of 23,030 patients, of all-ages, with an open suspected autism referral in December 2024. The median waiting time of all patients in the South West commissioning region with an open suspected autism referral, where their first care contact was in the quarter, was 548 days in December 2024. Caution should be used when interpreting these statistics, since they are experimental rather than official statistics.
Schools decide whether a pupil has additional needs that warrant them being on the school's Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) register. Some relevant information on waiting times for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) for children with SEND is available from the GOV.UK website, with the latest data available being from 2023, at the following link:
In Dorset, 60.2% of EHCPs, including exceptions, were issued within 20 weeks, and in the South West, 33.0% of EHCPs, including exceptions, were issued within 20 weeks.