Outraged parents of autistic children have branded strict new rules about who can be referred for diagnosis assessments as “naive and dangerous” and “discrimination”. Youngsters must now be in “crisis” before being placed on a two-year waiting list to be seen by healthcare provider Sirona, which runs the NHS service on behalf of Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) Integrated Care Board (ICB).
Three campaigning mums shared their stories at a council meeting on Monday, March 20, explaining how hard they’d had to battle to get their children an autism diagnosis and support – even before the criteria of who is eligible changed drastically on March 1. They warned that the “monstrous” decision, which was not subject to consultation and came out of the blue even to leading health scrutiny councillors, would create a mental health crisis among young people who would be left without vital support.
Mother-of-two Fiona Castle, of Horfield, whose youngest son is autistic, told Bristol City Council health scrutiny committee that her 11-year-old was diagnosed aged four and received an education, health and care plan (EHCP) despite a health visitor previously telling her he was just “boisterous”. He had 1:1 support at primary school and now attends a specialist autism secondary school.
