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Guide to GPs on adults with autism

longman

Birmingham Autism Partnership Board has produced a guide for GPs in Birmingham on Adults with Autism.

Something like this ought to be available to all GPs across the country, and given the number of correspondents on here encountering gatekeeper GPs who block access to diagnosis or follow-on support, make them aware of this, so they no longer have an excuse to feign ignorance.

I also think NAS should include a link to it on their web pages. Unfortunately, as happens with PDFs I only got part of the link - www.sandwellandwestbhamccg.nhs.uk/.../742-the-adults-with-autism-guide  so don't click on this if it comes up as a link, part in the middle is missing. It also comes up as "Adults with Autism - Sandwell and West Birmingham CCG" on google.

It explains things very clearly and simply, and has a section on why women are underdiagniosed, and gives a step-by-step guide to arranging diagnosis. Some of the advice is still a little odd, so the community might want to comment on how it could be improved. Also there's a rainbow of colour graphics that slows down the PDF file.

If more GP surgeries had information like this we just might get better service.

  • I learnt something new in this post. Thanks for posting.

  • Entered "Adult Autism" in the search function, got just two results, on very complex studies related to chemical behaviours, one on children with autism, one on adults..

  • I also looked up the British Medical Association, another secret society you have to sign in to, and entered "Adult Autism" in the search box. I got just ten results, here they are:

    key points on Baroness Hollins seminar to House of Lords re Winterbourne View hospital, July 2013 

    Lessons from Winterbourne November 2012, dated October 2013 

    Championing the vulnerable - seminar on vulnerable adults, dated June 2013

    BMA Board of Science Recognising the importance of Physical Health in Mental Health - nothing about autism, date May 2014

    ARM agenda - Science Health and Society  May 2014

    Choice and any qualified provider - hearing, wheelchair access, mental health but nothing about autism, date October 2013

    Framework Guidance for GMS Contract etc dated September 2014 - nothing indicated at all relevant to autism

    Transforming your care A Review of Health and Social Care, and event in Northern Ireland September 2013

    Quality and outcomes Framework guidance - about heart disease, dated June 2014.

    OK - I couldn't sign in, searches like this can be disappointing. But the lack of comprehension of Autism in adults demonstrated by the BMA in this little test is dreadful.

    The trouble is this is another Secret Society. They look after our health but are not accountable to us. It is no wonder GPs know so little.

    Isn't it time NAS Campaigns took issue with UK secret Medical societoes about their bad and unprofessional attitude towards people on the autistic spectrum?

  • On the flip side it is not hard to understand why GPs know so little about it, and come out with flippant ill-informed comments. What are they reading about it?

    I searched for the British Journal of General Practice published by the Royal College of General Practice. As with all such secret societies I have to log in as a member to access it properly, but I put "Adult Autism" in their search box. I got 90 hits.

    Of course this is a common problem with search facilities especially within websites. But I really ought to have scored better. Here are the first 10 hits (I couldn't open the other pages to find out what he other 80 were):

    1. Autism in General Practice OLE course. This is the package they were funded by the Government to produce, which is free to their members but costs anyone else to access.

    2. A book - care of the adult with intellectual disability in primary care

    3, A book - Spasticity in adults

    4. An Event. GP Safeguarding for adults and children

    5. News -Autism and perinatal mental health amongst new clinical priorities announced by RCGP

    6. A book - avoiding errors in Adult Medicine

    7. A book - A colour handbook of Acute Adult Dermatogy

    8. A book - Emergencies in General Adult Nursing

    9. Curriculum content - 05 Care of Older Adults

    10.A book - Type 2 Diabetes in Adults

    Now mabe this is a fob-off because I couldn't sign in as a member. But all the same it is a shocking indictment of the Royal College of General Practitioners.

    GPs are supposed to care for our health - this is a secret society with no public accountability that protects and perpetuatres bad practice, on the basis that only they determine what's good and bad.

    I don't supposde it is worth paying for their Autism in General Practice course - I've seen enough here to know it would be as complete waste of money.