Pulse check report: neurodiversity and health and care services
Download (PDF 546.95 KB)Summary of report content
Healthwatch Kingston upon Thames report on a survey of neurodiverse adults in Kingston carried out in April 2021. A total of 46 people responded to the survey and a further four people were interviewed over the phone as a requested reasonable adjustment.
More than three in give said they found it difficult or very difficult to access the care they needed. Just over half were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with their care. A fifth needed aftercare but this wasn’t available.
Neurodiverse people in Kingston said they want to be accepted, understood and get the right support. A dominant theme was the pressing need for services to provide useful, reasonable adjustments.
Three in ten respondents had used their autism and ADHD services for assessment, diagnosis and/or treatment. The waiting list for assessments is long. Some described their deteriorating mental health while waiting. Several people felt compelled to pay for a private diagnosis because of assessment waiting times.
Many respondents reported experiencing mental distress. Some people faced long waits for formal diagnostic assessments or therapies. Others felt abandoned or alone after diagnoses because of a lack of post diagnostic support.
Autistic/neurodivergent carers of children with similar conditions told us they face a double burden of stress and anxiety managing their own and their children’s conditions.
The report looks at people’s experiences of different mental health services. GPs do not make the reasonable adjustments necessary to ensure their service is accessible to neurodiverse patients.
The report contains 10 recommendations.