Autism waiting list surges in West Yorkshire
New figures from NHS England show there were over 7,300 patients waiting for an autism assessment in the county in September.
This week NHS England published new data showcasing how many people in the country are on the wait list for an autism assessment following a referral. The contents can be described as nothing short of shocking, as figures revealed there were 204,876 patients with an open referral for suspected autism across England in September – a 27% increase from 2023.
Even broken down, the figures are no better. In the NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board area, 7,460 patients were discovered to be waiting for an autism assessment, up from 7,290 last year. What’s more, 84% of these had a referral that had been opened within the past 13 weeks – the period in which patients should receive their first appointment. As it stands, the median wait time for a first appointment in England is 43 weeks.
Meanwhile, a similar scenario to West Yorkshire was seen in the South. In the NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board area, 8,825 patients were waiting for an autism assessment, up from 7,380 last year.
Tim Nicholls, assistant director of policy, research and strategy at the National Autistic Society, said the findings should be a ‘huge wake-up call to the government to urgently fix this broken system.’
‘An autism assessment can be the first step to really understanding people’s needs and too often people can’t get support without a diagnosis, even though this shouldn’t be the case,’ he continued.
‘Waiting for months or years for an assessment leaves people struggling without the right support, increasingly stressed and anxious. It pushes some people to a mental health crisis.’
A spokesperson for NHS England, added: ‘While there remains high demand for autism assessments, we are seeing an improvement in the number of assessments completed.
‘But we do know there is more to do, which is why we have published new national guidance to help local partners to deliver high-quality autism assessment services and to manage the 161% increase in referrals over the last four years, while providing enhanced autism training for psychiatrists.’
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