Cutting ‘appalling’ waits for autism diagnosis difficult, council admits

Camden Council must do more to cut lengthy waits for autism diagnosis in the borough, the cabinet has admitted.

It follows reports that families were waiting nearly two years on average for an assessment.

At a meeting of the full council on Monday, Cllr Sylvia McNamara (Labour) quizzed executive member Cllr Marcus Boyland on what is being done to cut the average wait time of 86 weeks for a proper examination of autism and ADHD.

“This is distressing for parents, teachers and children alike,” she said, asking what support was available to parents during the wait.

Cllr Boyland, cabinet member for best start for children and families, said he understood the national and local pressures on the system.

“I acknowledge that families may experience real difficulties in accessing the support they need, in part due to insufficient resources.

“I share your concerns around long waiting times for ADHD and autism assessments, and the figures you gave of almost two years on average.

“Imagine what the long tails are going to be like across that. It’s really appalling for the parents who are waiting for this.”

Cllr Boyland, who chairs the Town Hall’s SEND Inclusion Board, said these concerns had been raised with the North Central London Integrated Care Board (NCLICB), which commissions the diagnostic pathway for autism and ADHD.

“It is a priority for them, and they are seeking to establish a standardised pathway, including further invesment,” Cllr Boyland added.

In Camden, the council has been using the Educational Needs Grant (ENG), Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), and family hubs to help reduce wait times, Cllr Boyland said.

“But to get them down from two years to a more realistic figure is going to be more difficult,” he admitted.

When pressed by Cllr McNamara on how long it would take to speed the diagnostic process up to a one-year wait, Cllr Boyland said it was “near-impossible” for him to say, but that the council was working very hard to do so.

The admission comes days after a council inquiry into the borough’s SEND sevices revealed a system in disarray.

Cllr McNamara said that during the study, which interviewed parents, school staff and others, officers repeatedly heard the phrase, ‘the system is broken’.

The report made the case that the wider crisis in SEND can be traced to the flaws of the Children and Families Act 2014 and its “underfunded changes”. she said.

As a result, the commission has made nine national recommendations on how to fix a system in disarray, adding that this likely demands legislative change.

This week, the Children’s Commissioner warned of the “largely invisible crisis” impacting children’s community and mental health services, including diagnosis.

A report from the watchdog released on Tuesday stated that “children and families are often left in the lurch, expected to cope by themselves while they wait”.