A Stirling man quoted £2,500 for a private autism diagnosis has criticised delays in plans to support people with autism following the closure of an assessment unit.
A letter issued early last year by Joanna MacDonald, Interim Chief Officer of Clackmannanshire and Stirling HSCP, informed those still on the waiting list for support from the region’s Adult Autism Assessment Team (AAAT) that they would no longer be seen and no new referrals would be taken on.
More than 18 months have passed since the closure was announced, and those still seeking support are awaiting news of the next steps. HSCP officials have admitted that “engagement activities” over the future shape of adult autism services had been delayed.
Private diagnosis quoted at £2,500
One of those impacted was David Keenan, 31, who says he was advised to seek a private autism diagnosis at an estimated cost of around £2,500. Mr Keenan has launched several Freedom of Information requests with the health board over the reasoning behind the closure.
He told the Observer: “The reason I was initially referred was because my brother was formally diagnosed recently and a lot of he said in the questions he was asked resonated with me - possibly even more so than they did for him.
“I was hoping to get that sense of self-understanding and understand how I approach certain situations differently.
“I remember being quite annoyed and gutted when the letters came out saying they had closed the service, although they said they would be speaking to stakeholders about future delivery service models and so I was willing to offer the benefit of the doubt and looked forward to being involved in that.”
With that process delayed, Mr Keenan fears many may turn to social media to try to learn more about themselves, and warned about the impact of restricting possible diagnostic support to those only able to access private help.
874 people on waiting list
“I had a mental health crisis earlier this year and looked into a private consultation, but I was quoted £2,500 for that from a clinic which is money most people do not have.
“There will definitely be people falling through the cracks and while I’m in a fairly privileged position, mental health issues don’t go away no matter the life conditions you have, so those in poverty or living in social exclusion are most at risk.
“There are more adults presenting later - either people who have learned to live with things and have crafted a means of overcoming the barriers or someone who hasn’t coped at all, been impaired and been forced to cope through their adolescence.
“They’ve had 18 months to earmark the cash saved from the closure and nothing has been done with it yet.
“There were 874 people on the waiting list for support at the time of the service suspension and there would have been hundreds more referred if the service was still open.”
Health board response
Autism is a lifelong neuro-developmental difference in the way a person communicates, interacts and processes the world around them. While mostly diagnosed in childhood, in recent years more and more undiagnosed adults have come forward for assessment as awareness of the condition has increased.
In response, a spokeswoman for Clackmannanshire & Stirling Health and Social Care Partnership said the AAAT had faced “very high levels of demand”, with the service being run by two part-time members of staff who both left at the same time. This meant it was “no longer possible” to deal with existing referrals or take on new ones.
The health board said recruiting two new part-time members of staff would not be the best use of resources, and discussions would take place to identify the best way of delivering services moving forward.
The spokeswoman added: “Everyone who was referred to the previous adult autism assessment service was given details of alternative sources of support and advice and also advised that they were still entitled to access help and support at work or educational settings without a formal diagnosis of autism.
“Adults with autism can continue to access support from local mental health services if their condition is more complex and has a significant impact on their day-to-day life.
“Although there have been some delays, there are now plans to carry out a range of engagement activities over the next six months to identify the best way of supporting people with autism going forward.”
