Improving the lives of autistic people is the focus of a new multi-million-pound strategy that has been launched by the government.
Backed by nearly £75 million in the first year, it aims to speed up diagnosis and improve support and care for autistic people. The funding includes £40 million through the NHS Long Term Plan to improve capacity in crisis services and support children with complex needs in inpatient care.
Autistic people face multiple disadvantages throughout their lives, with too many struggling to get the support that is tailored to their needs at an early enough stage and facing stigma and misunderstanding, often leaving them lonely or isolated. Through this new strategy, steps will be taken to improve diagnosis, which is crucial to help people get the support they need and improve society’s understanding of autism.
The five-year strategy was developed following engagement with autistic people, their family and carers. It will support autistic children and adults through better access to education, more help to get into work, preventing avoidable admissions to healthcare settings, and training for prison staff to better support prisoners with complex needs.
Health and Social Care Secretary, Sajid Javid said:
“Improving the lives of autistic people is a priority and this new strategy, backed by almost £75 million in the first year, will help us create a society that truly understands and includes autistic people in all aspects of life. It will reduce diagnosis waiting times for children and adults and improve community support for autistic people. This is crucial in reducing the health inequalities they face, and the unacceptable life expectancy gap that exists today.”
Early identification can play an important role in enabling children and young people to get timely support, which is crucial in preventing the escalation of needs. While autism is not a learning disability, around 4 in 10 autistic people have a learning disability.
Some autistic people will need very little or no support in their everyday lives while others may need high levels of care, such as 24-hour support in residential care. This strategy will align with wider government work through the National Disability Strategy and the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) review. The government will ensure issues relevant to autistic people are considered as part of these programmes of work.
This strategy’s accompanying implementation plan will lay the foundations in the first year, for what the government aims to achieve over the course of the next five years. It will be refreshed in subsequent years, in line with future Spending Reviews.
