Living with Autism in East Cheshire

Healthwatch Cheshire East examined the experiences of cares of children and adults with autism in the local area. Over 5 months in 2015, the team engaged with over 200 carers at community groups and events. Most responses came from people who were caring for their children who were on the Autistic Spectrum (including Asperger’s Syndrome and ADHD). Consultations with CAMHS and the CCG were also held by the team.

The report highlighted a number of key themes that arose from the carer’s feedback. There is a disparity in diagnosis across the region. For some parts of the region, there were significantly long delays to receive an assessment appointment. This is partly attributed to that the region is covered by two CCGs. Similarly, there is a disparity between schools’ approaches to children with autism. Some schools didn’t seem trained or experienced with supporting children with autism and Asperger’s. A lack of support was highlighted by the carers. They suggested there was lack of support for adults living with autism and Asperger’s and felt there was a lack of crisis care and support for families. The carers also suggested that there was not enough information about the support available to them and their families and parents felt there was a ‘blame culture’ from the professionals.

The report made a number of recommendations. The diagnosis process in Eastern Cheshire was being reviewed at the time of publication. Therefore, the team urged future pathways to consider the provision of crisis care, the development of a directory of services to improve awareness of available support and to better join up services for integrated care.

While the response from the service provider is not included in the report, a separate publication, 'Response to Autism Report' October 2015 details their response to this report.