Women and Girls with Autism: Mental Health Support Debate
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Rachael Maskell
Main Page: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)Department Debates - View all Rachael Maskell's debates with the Department of Health and Social Care
Women and Girls with Autism: Mental Health Support
Rachael Maskell Excerpts(1 day, 21 hours ago)
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Karin Smyth
The hon. Lady raises another terrible case concerning a teenager on behalf of her constituent. We must of course be mindful of that provision for children and young people. My hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth West spoke of her constituent’s campaign to retrain mental health staff, to improve understanding and acceptance of autistic women and girls. As we have heard, we know there can be differences in how autism presents in males and females, which can make autism harder to identify in girls.
Rachael Maskell (York Central) (Lab/Co-op)
I am grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth West (Jessica Toale) for securing the debate. Will the Minister ensure that mental health trusts and integrated care boards do not put people waiting for an autism assessment through a process of filling in a pro forma, only to be left languishing on a list, perhaps never having an assessment? We know the predominance of young women on those lists, yet the right support in the right way never comes. Will the Minister ensure that that process is brought to a conclusion?
Karin Smyth
I will come on to talk about what we expect local providers to do, but obviously no one should languish on a list as she describes.