A North Staffordshire-based charity is helping to cut waiting times for autism assessments and ease the strain on the ‘overwhelmed’ NHS. Caudwell Children, which is based on Keele University’s Science Park, is working with trusts around the country as the number of people awaiting diagnosis soars.
According to the latest NHS figures published by the National Autistic Society earlier this month, 157,579 people were waiting for an autism assessment in England in March this year – a 35 per cent increase in the number of people waiting in just one year.
The charity warned that if waiting lists continue to grow at this rate, by March next year there would be more than 212,000 people waiting for an autism assessment.
