Hampshire: Thousands waiting for autism assessments

About 60 percent of adults in Hampshire have positive diagnoses after they are assessed, reports from autism assessment providers show

Thousands of adults are waiting for an assessment for autism spectrum condition (ASC), according to new data.

About 3,000 people across Hampshire are in line for an evaluation, with average delays of more than two and a half years.

Demand for services has increased by more than 300 percent since 2019, figures show.

A new all-age assessment model was being developed, the area's Integrated Care Board (ICB) said.

The growing number of people waiting has put pressure on services to maintain waiting times, the county council's Health and Adult Social Care Select Committee heard.

Long-term change

Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB officers said they had been working closely with the county council to develop the Hampshire Autism Strategy - a scheme which advises services on how they should support autistic people.

An ICB spokesperson said there needed to be a change that worked in the long-term.

"What we have managed to do for the first time in Hampshire is secure all-age all autism assessment service," they said.

"So whether you are five or 55 years old, you go into the same provider, and you don't move when you turn 18 years old. You won't be transferred between services you've always been on the same list until you receive your assessment."

They added that providers had been commissioned to review all patient cases to understand how long people had been waiting, whether there was distress and whether there were any mental health issues.

Funding had also been awarded through public health to have another 445 assessments for adults in Hampshire, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

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