Advice needed re adjustments at work

My understanding in terms of insurance is that a condition wouldn't be deemed pre-existing unless it had been diagnosed, so autism being a life long condition shouldn't exclude you from being assessed for it.

You are already protected by the Equality Act (2010) because your employer has been made aware of your mental health difficulties, e.g. depression. The 3rd booklet listed on this page of Rethink's resources (a pdf) has guidance on mental health, employment and  adjustments and is titled 'What's reasonable at work' www.rethink.org/.../w [edited to include a more reasonably sized link! Hope you can find it this time, pixiefox]

An employer has to make adjustments which are reasonable, in their circumstances. For example, it could be deemed reasonable to recruit another part time member of staff to make up the hours that you want to reduce. Beyond reasonable adjustments, that's where Access to Work funding comes in, according to the booklet I have linked to.

You can decide to join a union regardless of the size of the organisation you work for. You would select the one most relevant to the work you do. If you did join a union it would be worth clarifying with them what they can offer you on this specific issue, because they may have a policy of not representing members on issues studying before joining, though they don't always strictly uphold this and may nevertheless offer you some guidance. Alternatively, a disability employment support service may be able to help you, or you could take someone who knows you personally, like a friend or family member. Having someone with you may also depend on whether this is a formal meeting under their absence/sickness policy, so you could clarify the situation with your employer.

My perception is that if a suspected condition is affecting your ability to carry out daily life (e.g. work, relationships, self care) this is often used as the threshold for further investigation and, if relevant, diagnosis. So if you want an NHS diagnosis, do your best to assert to your GP that it is affecting your life. You could get an advocate to go with you if you think this would be difficult to do on your own. In Scotland and possibly elsewhere people with mental health issues have a statutory right to advocacy.

Ultimately, if your employer cannot make sufficient adjustments to enable you to keep your job, they would have to medically retiree you, though this is not something an employer would do lightly, as the fairness of the dismissal could be challenged in an employment tribunal, where they would need to demonstrate they had exhausted possible reasonable adjustments for you.

My understanding in terms of insurance is that a condition wouldn't be deemed pre-existing unless it had been diagnosed, so autism being a life long condition shouldn't exclude you from being assessed for it.

You are already protected by the Equality Act (2010) because your employer has been made aware of your mental health difficulties, e.g. depression. The 3rd booklet listed on this page of Rethink's resources (a pdf) has guidance on mental health, employment and  adjustments and is titled 'What's reasonable at work' www.rethink.org/.../w [edited to include a more reasonably sized link! Hope you can find it this time, pixiefox]

An employer has to make adjustments which are reasonable, in their circumstances. For example, it could be deemed reasonable to recruit another part time member of staff to make up the hours that you want to reduce. Beyond reasonable adjustments, that's where Access to Work funding comes in, according to the booklet I have linked to.

You can decide to join a union regardless of the size of the organisation you work for. You would select the one most relevant to the work you do. If you did join a union it would be worth clarifying with them what they can offer you on this specific issue, because they may have a policy of not representing members on issues studying before joining, though they don't always strictly uphold this and may nevertheless offer you some guidance. Alternatively, a disability employment support service may be able to help you, or you could take someone who knows you personally, like a friend or family member. Having someone with you may also depend on whether this is a formal meeting under their absence/sickness policy, so you could clarify the situation with your employer.

My perception is that if a suspected condition is affecting your ability to carry out daily life (e.g. work, relationships, self care) this is often used as the threshold for further investigation and, if relevant, diagnosis. So if you want an NHS diagnosis, do your best to assert to your GP that it is affecting your life. You could get an advocate to go with you if you think this would be difficult to do on your own. In Scotland and possibly elsewhere people with mental health issues have a statutory right to advocacy.

Ultimately, if your employer cannot make sufficient adjustments to enable you to keep your job, they would have to medically retiree you, though this is not something an employer would do lightly, as the fairness of the dismissal could be challenged in an employment tribunal, where they would need to demonstrate they had exhausted possible reasonable adjustments for you.