Parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities have reached their fundraising target and can now mount a legal challenge against health chiefs in the Bristol area over a new policy to make it harder for autistic children to get a formal diagnosis.
The parents formed a group called Assess for Autism and needed to raise £5,000 to engage lawyers and ask for a judicial review on the policy, which sparked controversy when it was revealed earlier this year.
The new Integrated Care Board, which brings together NHS chiefs, council bosses and private health care firms and organisations outside of the NHS, agreed a new policy in February which meant that children would only be assessed for autism and receive a formal diagnosis if their circumstances, health or family situation is in crisis.
