An NHS Fit For Autistic People 

Dear Wes Streeting 

In Lord Darzi’s report on the NHS, it was said that “the patient voice is not loud enough.” Consider this your patient voice shouting loud.  

We are a group of Young Ambassadors for the National Autistic Society, 18-24 year olds who are passionate about creating a world that works for autistic people, and we are writing to appeal to you to create an NHS fit for autistic people.

8 in 10 autistic people report difficulty with visiting a GP and autistic people are over three times more likely to leave an appointment feeling as though they did not receive any help at all.  

Autistic people experience some of the greatest inequalities in society, including the worst mental health outcomes of any group.  

We, like many autistic people, have experienced our sensory and communication needs being ignored and the catastrophic consequences of not getting the right support:  

• “I was unable to speak or eat due to the high stress of the sensory environment and this was deemed as signs of mental illness. I felt very humiliated being told I had to speak when I was not able to and being forced to try even when it was clearly causing more and more distress to the point we could not even continue.  This prolonged my stay in hospital and led to misinformed or unnecessary referrals." Rosie  

• “My experiences are made difficult by bright, fluorescent often flickering lights, sudden beeps and other unexpected noises and being touched without prior explanation." Daisy 

Far too often we are not taken seriously. This is completely avoidable.  

It’s time to close the Autism Health Gap. To do this, we prescribe a round of CPR: 

Consult - directly with autistic people on our experiences of the healthcare system to learn about the healthcare barriers and poor health outcomes we face and the adjustments that could make a big difference.  Make sure that autistic people are fully involved and included in the NHS 10 year plan.  
Practice – Put these adjustments into practice across all healthcare services to create an NHS fit for autistic people. 
Review – Continue to seek our views regularly, come back to us to find out what is working and what still needs to change. 

We have many stories of not getting the support, knowledge or awareness we need in healthcare settings. Now, we want to know what the Government plans to do to make an NHS fit for autistic people.  

We would like to invite you to meet with us, to hear our stories and learn from our experiences so we can work together on a plan to close the autism health gap. 

Yours sincerely,  

Hannah, Maya, Finty, Lydia, Max, Joseph, Joanna, Daisy, Rosie, Izzy, Adam, Leah

The National Autistic Society's Young Ambassadors