Children are waiting up to FOUR years for an autism diagnosis: Ministers slam ... trends now
Children are suffering 'harmful' waits of more than four years for diagnoses of autism and mental health conditions.
One youngster waited 1,518 days – about four years and a month – for their diagnosis at NHS Ayrshire and Arran.
Another at NHS Tayside had to wait 1,323 days – about three-and-a-half-years – to get their diagnoses of neurodevelopmental disorders confirmed by medics.
Waiting lists for autism assessments don't fare much better south of the border amid staff shortages and increasing demand.
Tens of thousands of children with suspected autism in England have been waiting at least three months for an assessment to confirm their diagnosis.
NHS data for England shows tens of thousands of children with suspected autism have been waiting at three months or more for an assessment to confirm the diagnosis (stock image)
This chart shows the percentage increase in incidence of autism diagnosis from 1998 to 2018. UK researchers found autism diagnoses had risen by an 'exponential' 787% over 20 years. They said the rise could be due to increased recognition of the condition among experts particularly in diagnosing autism among girls and adults, but added an increase in cases of autism itself cannot be ruled out
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance states that no-one should wait longer than that length of time.
But almost three quarters of 110,000 children in the NHS system with an open autism referral were in this position in December, figures show.
This rises to 100 per cent at one trust, according to MailOnline analysis of the latest available data.
All of the 2,645 under-18s open autism referrals at Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (FT) have been waiting 13-plus weeks for an assessment.
High rates were also logged at Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS FT (94 per cent), North East London NHS FT and East Kent Hospitals University NHS FT (both 93 per cent).
