Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to assess care provisions for people with (a) autism and (b) learning difficulties.

Local authorities are best placed to assess, understand, and plan for the needs of their population. That is why, under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care market to meet the diverse needs of all local people. This includes encouraging a wide range of service provision to ensure that people have a choice of appropriate services, including in relation to autism and learning disabilities.

As the regulator for health and social care, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) plays a role in ensuring the quality and safety of services through inspection and registration. The CQC expects services for autistic people and people with a learning disability to meet the requirements of the statutory guidance Right support, right care, right culture, in which the fundamental principle is to provide person centred care that includes choice, independence, and integration into community life. The CQC also uses an enhanced approach for assessing these services to ensure they understand people’s experiences.