Seeking diagnosis

These postcode variations fly in the face of government promises (not that I believe in any of them) and the various follow ups to the autism act.

In theory you can assert your concerns if the infrastructure has developed at all. The clinical commissioning group in Lincolnshire should be accessible via GP surgery Patient Participation Groups (PPGs).

In theory every GP surgery should have a PPG - a voluntary patient-led panel or committee. If the GP surgery has a website information on the PPG should be on it, or just ask the surgery about PPG. This provides an opportunity to raise a concern about autism diagnosis and support. PPGs will have some interface with the local clinical commissioning group, and could provide a means of raising the issue in your area.

Your area hospital should also have committees accessible by the public addressing disability and equality, as a means of raising concern.

Within the local authority there should, under the autism act, be a commissioning officer who covers autism - trouble is this has tended to end up being either the mental health or learning disability commissioning manager, not really functioning in line with the autism act (eg only helping people with autism if they also have a learning disability). NAS was monitoring this and providing performance tables, by local authority, but this has fizzled out, and many local authorities made false claims to avoid penalties at autism act deadlines.

However your local authority should be responding to both the autism act and the care act, and there should be some sort of review panel quarterly or some other frequency where a member of the public can ask why diagnosis services haven't materialised.

In both the health sector and local authorities, autism provision is very inconsistent, but the present government claims these mechanisms exist - it may not be easy, but posters on here in Lincolnshire should be able to make their voice heard.

This is important given the situation of OrangeCow, who at 16 cannot seem to get the help to which Orange Cow ought to have a right. So Lincolnshire readers of this site need to start asking questions about local provision in the light of the Autism Act and the Care Act. Lincolnshire may be ducking their responsibilities because no-one has yet challenged their failings.

These postcode variations fly in the face of government promises (not that I believe in any of them) and the various follow ups to the autism act.

In theory you can assert your concerns if the infrastructure has developed at all. The clinical commissioning group in Lincolnshire should be accessible via GP surgery Patient Participation Groups (PPGs).

In theory every GP surgery should have a PPG - a voluntary patient-led panel or committee. If the GP surgery has a website information on the PPG should be on it, or just ask the surgery about PPG. This provides an opportunity to raise a concern about autism diagnosis and support. PPGs will have some interface with the local clinical commissioning group, and could provide a means of raising the issue in your area.

Your area hospital should also have committees accessible by the public addressing disability and equality, as a means of raising concern.

Within the local authority there should, under the autism act, be a commissioning officer who covers autism - trouble is this has tended to end up being either the mental health or learning disability commissioning manager, not really functioning in line with the autism act (eg only helping people with autism if they also have a learning disability). NAS was monitoring this and providing performance tables, by local authority, but this has fizzled out, and many local authorities made false claims to avoid penalties at autism act deadlines.

However your local authority should be responding to both the autism act and the care act, and there should be some sort of review panel quarterly or some other frequency where a member of the public can ask why diagnosis services haven't materialised.

In both the health sector and local authorities, autism provision is very inconsistent, but the present government claims these mechanisms exist - it may not be easy, but posters on here in Lincolnshire should be able to make their voice heard.

This is important given the situation of OrangeCow, who at 16 cannot seem to get the help to which Orange Cow ought to have a right. So Lincolnshire readers of this site need to start asking questions about local provision in the light of the Autism Act and the Care Act. Lincolnshire may be ducking their responsibilities because no-one has yet challenged their failings.