NHS pledge to slash '˜unacceptable' autism test delays in Leeds amid support fears for children
Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust (LCH) has announced that within the next nine months it will tackle waiting times that were on average triple the national 12-week target last year.
The assessments can lead to a diagnosis, which can unlock vital support for families like that of Lucas Reedman – a Bramley six-year-old who has been waiting more than 40 weeks to be tested.
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Hide AdAt a meeting of Leeds City Council’s health scrutiny board yesterday, trust chiefs blamed long waiting lists on pressures to make cuts and a shortage of specialist staff.
But Nick Wood, children’s services general manager at LCH, said a “vigorous” recruitment campaign coupled with a reduction of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) waiting lists means specialists can now focus on autism.
He said: “The internal wait for autism assessment is not acceptable and a realistic plan is in place to clear the backlog of children waiting by the end of 2016, and then to maintain a 12-week wait for assessment for new referrals.”
Scrutiny board member Coun Brian Selby said the fear is that children waiting for a diagnosis of autism may be misunderstood, potentially excluded for their unusual behaviour and be “lost from the system”.
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Hide AdMr Wood responded by saying that it is “highly likely” that young people would receive support in their schools prior to diagnosis.