Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to reduce waiting times for autism (a) diagnosis and (b) support for (i) adults and (ii) children in Manchester Rusholme constituency.

The Government has recognised that, nationally, demand for assessments for autism has grown significantly in recent years, and that people are experiencing severe delays for accessing such assessments. The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan will make the National Health Service fit for the future, including early intervention and support without the need for diagnosis.

It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including provision of autism services, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

On 5 April 2023, NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance to help ICBs and the National Health Service to deliver improved outcomes for people referred to an autism assessment service. The guidance also sets out what support should be available before an assessment and following a recent diagnosis of autism. Since publication, NHS England has been supporting systems and services to identify where there are challenges for implementation and how they might overcome these.

The Government is also supporting inclusive environments and earlier intervention for children through the Early Language Support for Every Child and the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools programmes.

The NHS Greater Manchester ICB, shaped by engagement with over 15,000 people, has developed a new model of care to improve the outcomes of children and young people with neurodiverse needs. The model supports:

- local neurodevelopmental hubs to provide a single point of access for help, each with specialist teams to provide tailored support for individuals and families;

- triage and prioritisation, where children who are most vulnerable and in need of support are seen first; and

- standardising core services across Greater Manchester to reduce regional inequalities.

The NHS Greater Manchester ICB has also prioritised alignment with the adoption of the GM Children and Young People and Adult Autism Standards for all commissioned services, with further information available at the following link:

https://autismgm.org.uk/resources/gm-autism-post-diagnosis-standards/