Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she has taken to assess the quality of autism assessments undertaken in the private sector.

We have not made an assessment of the quality of autism assessments that have not been commissioned by the National Health Service.

It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population. We are clear that commissioners should take National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guidelines fully into account ensuring that NHS services commissioned from the private sector represent an effective use of NHS resources. More information on the NICE guidelines is available at the following links:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg142

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg128

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is considering the remit of its regulatory duties, and registration, of online autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder diagnostic assessment services as part of CQC’s new regulatory approach to assessment and inspection of CQC-registered health services.