The Government is committed to supporting people with autism to live independently as equal and included citizens. The Autism Act 2009, spearheaded in a Private Members Bill by Rt Hon Cheryl Gillan MP, was a hugely significant milestone on the road to achieving that goal.
It was followed in March 2010 by the autism strategy, Fulfilling and Rewarding Lives, which set a clear agenda for how public services in particular must transform to better address the needs of adults with autism.
The Department of Health is now consulting on the draft statutory guidance that it has developed.
The draft guidance sets out how health and social services bodies should support the implementation of the strategy. Much of this builds on existing requirements and duties, reiterated and reinforced in the strategy: other aspects focus on raising awareness of autism amongst frontline staff, which has been identified as the key to delivering real change for all adults with autism.
The guidance focuses on the seven areas required by the Autism Act 2009, in each case identifying what health and social services bodies are already expected to do, and then setting out any additional requirements introduced by the strategy. The additional requirements are focused on achieving two key outcomes:
• improving the way health and social care services identify the needs of adults with autism, and
• ensuring identified needs are met more effectively to improve the health and well-being of adults with autism
Download the Department of Health strategy guidance consultation document.
Help shape the our response to the consultation
The MHN will be responding to this consultation and would be particularly interested in hearing member’s views on the proposals.
We have produced a summary of the along with a list of key questions for mental health providers.
If you would like to feed into the MHN consultation response we would ask that you do so by the 8th October by emailing Rebecca Cotton (Policy Manager, Mental Health) at rebecca.cotton@nhsconfed.org
The DH consultation formally closes on 22nd October 2010. The MHN would, as usual, be glad to receive copies of individual organisation’s responses to the consultation.