Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to ensure that autistic people are supported in later life.

The ‘National strategy for autistic children, young people and adults: 2021 to 2026’, published on 21 July 2021, sets out how we will improve outcomes for older autistic people. This includes the introduction of mandatory training for health and social care staff on learning disability and autism, including those who work with older adults.

NHS England is supporting the development of an autism specific health check for adults and a study is currently underway by Newcastle University to test its effectiveness at identifying additional health needs in autistic people. This has been established to address the health inequalities faced by autistic people and should the study prove successful, NHS England is committed to further testing with the aim of deployment in primary care.

The Chief Social Worker, in partnership with the British Association of Social Workers, has published practice guidance to improve social work practice with autistic people, including older autistic people. This will help autistic people, including older autistic people, access appropriate care and support.