Mentions:
1: O'Kane, Paul (Lab - West Scotland) I am conscious that there is a proposal for a bill on learning disabilities, autism and neurodivergence - Speech Link
2: None As you will be aware, the learning disability, autism and neurodivergence bill has been consulted on, - Speech Link
3: None Also, if, in the future, an autistic person goes to what I hope will be a learning disability, autism - Speech Link
4: None of what autism is and what it means to be autistic, although there is also increasing awareness. - Speech Link
5: None I am interested to hear Suzi Martin’s statistics for the cost of autism. - Speech Link

Mentions:
1: None My child is currently awaiting the final stages of an assessment for both autism and ADHD, and uprooting - Speech Link

Mentions:
1: None We have considered arranging tennis lessons for a young adult with autism in order to encourage their - Speech Link

S6W-27808

Asked by: Sweeney, Paul (Scottish Labour - Glasgow)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what interim support is available to people who are currently on long waiting lists for adult (a) autism and (b) attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessments.

Answered by Todd, Maree - Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport

It is the responsibility of local Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs) to put in place services to meet local needs, including the needs of adults with ADHD. Alongside this, the Scottish Government is engaged in work nationally to improve access to ADHD diagnosis in Scotland.

The Scottish Government funds Scottish Autism’s Autism Advice Line which is staffed by advisors who are trained and experienced in working with autistic people and their families. The Advice Line is open Tuesday – Friday, 10am-4pm. There is also a live chat facility, which you can access via the chat bubble at the bottom right hand corner of Scottish Autism’s website .

We also provide £1m of funding to several organisations via our Adult Autism Support Fund (AASF). Formal diagnosis is not required to access support from the new fund, which is directed at adults who currently receive very little local funding. The service is delivered in partnership with national charities and autistic led organisations, with Inspiring Scotland appointed as fund managers.

There are many other organisations across Scotland that run initiatives that support adults awaiting assessments for autism and/or ADHD. These initiatives do not require formal diagnoses as a prerequisite for access.

S6W-27807

Asked by: Sweeney, Paul (Scottish Labour - Glasgow)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what support it is providing to NHS boards to help meet demand for adult (a) autism and (b) attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessments.

Answered by Todd, Maree - Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport

The Scottish Government funds the National Autism Implementation Team (NAIT) to support local areas to improve their neurodevelopmental support and diagnosis for adults; this includes diagnosis for both autism and ADHD. Since we accepted the recommendations of the Adult Neurodevelopmental Pathways report last year, we have provided £567k for implementation to the NAIT. Nine of the 14 NHS Health Boards in Scotland now have Adult Neurodevelopmental Pathway Strategic Groups and five have a current Local Action Plan. Progress in this area remains a priority.

NAIT also published guidance in April (2022) regarding the prescribing of ADHD medication to adults following a private sector diagnosis in Scotland which can be read here .

NAIT’s guidance was constructed in consultation with practising psychiatrists, the Royal Colleges of Psychiatry and General Practice, as well as individuals with ADHD.

This guidance helps clarify the roles and responsibilities of both NHS staff and non-NHS providers.

S6W-27809

Asked by: Sweeney, Paul (Scottish Labour - Glasgow)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the current average waiting times for adult (a) autism and (b) attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessments.

Answered by Todd, Maree - Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport

There is no national collection of waiting times for adult diagnosis of ADHD. Such collection is conducted at the level of Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs), and is not aggregated nationally.

However, the Scottish Government established the National Autism Implementation Team (NAIT), in partnership with Queen Margaret University, to support Health and Social Care Partnerships to consider best practice and improve service in the redesigning of autism diagnostic services.

In May 2023, NAIT published a review of waiting times for neurodevelopmental assessment in Scotland for adults , conducted between October 2021 and May 2022. These assessments include those for autism and ADHD.

This review found that, while the median overall waiting time for a diagnosis in adults was 252 days, aligning with the recommended timeframe, under half (47%) of individual assessments met the 252-day time standard, indicating that some individuals experience longer waiting times.

The 2020 Programme for Government included work to consider a National Clinical Pathway for ADHD. That work has now been completed and the Feasibility Study was published in January 2021 by the National Autism Implementation Team (NAIT).

Following on from the study, the Scottish Government provided funding of £650,000 for a 12-month pilot in four HSCP areas - Fife, Borders, Lanarkshire and Highland. The findings of the pilot were published in March 2023. We have accepted the full recommendations of the report and are now working with NAIT on implementation.