Presentation from Martin Short, Director of Place, North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB), and Dominic Gardner, Care Group Director MHSOP / AMH, Durham Tees Valley Care Group, Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust.
Minutes:
Members received a presentation on the Autism Strategy from the Assistant Director – Adult Services, the Director of Place, North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB), the Care Group Director, Durham Tees Valley Care Group, Tees, Esk and Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV), and colleagues from the Tees, Esk and Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust.
Members were initially provided with an overview of the national context, including the range in terms of the level of support required, the legal obligations and the statutory framework, and the overall costs associated with Autism, before receiving information on the context in relation to Darlington, which included TEWV diagnostic waiting times, and the number of cases within Adult Social Care, broken down by primary support reason.
The six priority areas of focus for the strategy were outlined, namely Improving Understanding and Acceptance of Autism with Society; Improving Services for Autistic Children and Young People, Access to Education and Supporting Positive Transitions into Adulthood; Supporting More People into Employment; Tackling Health and Care Inequalities for Autistic People; Building the Right Support in the Community and Supporting People in Inpatient Care; and Improving Support into the Criminal and Youth Justice Systems, and detailed actions alongside each priority area were discussed.
The presentation concluded with a number of recommendations and actions that were taking place throughout 2023.
Members entered into discussion on the diagnostic waiting times, noting 46 cases where the waiting time for diagnosis exceeded more than 12 months, and questioned the frequency of contact during the waiting period and enquired whether targets were met. Members were interested to learn whether there were sufficient assessors to meet demand, and the length of time it took an individual to qualify as an assessor. Discussion progressed on to the nature of assessment, and Members were keen to know how long the assessment process took.
Focus then turned to the training and support available to those staff and carers who care for people with autism.
Discussion returned to the support offered following an autistic diagnosis, with an acknowledgement that support had not always been as forthcoming in the past, however it was recognised that there was now much greater awareness and a developing cultural change, with greater training available and the provision of a service offering reasonable adjustments personal to the individual, though it was suggested by Members that some services could be cost prohibitive.
Concerns were raised that not all cases were being signposted to the correct support, or were being addressed by practitioners who had not received appropriate autism awareness training. It was also suggested that young girls and young women were ‘masking’, and that there was a need for greater diagnosis in this cohort. Members were reassured that there was a greater awareness around autism in women and teenagers, however Members were advised that if they were aware of negative experiences this should be fed back and practice reflected upon.
It was noted that this work cut across the remit of three of the Council’s Scrutiny Committees (Adult Scrutiny Committee, Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee and the Health and Housing Scrutiny Committee), and that consideration should be given at the Monitoring and Coordination Group in relation to any future work in this area.
RESOLVED – That the content of the presentation be noted.