Freedom of Information - HWHCT-011

Our ref; HWHCT - 011

17 May 2022

FOI request:

Request information from each of your Trust regarding the length of time it takes children referred with suspected autism to get a first diagnostic appointment.

Question 1

1. How many children with suspected autism received a first diagnostic appointment in the year up to 31 March 2022?
2. How many of these children waited more than 13 weeks for that first appointment?
3. What was the average wait time?
4. What were the longest three wait times for these children?

Question 2

1. How many children with suspected autism received a first diagnostic appointment in the year up to 31 March 2021?
2. How many of these children waited more than 13 weeks for that first appointment?
3. What was the average wait time?

Question 4

1. How many children with suspected autism received a first diagnostic appointment in the year up to 31 March 2020?
2. How many of these children waited more than 13 weeks for that first appointment?
3. What was the average wait time?

Question 5

1. How many children with suspected autism received a first diagnostic appointment in the year up to 31 March 2019?
2. How many of these children waited more than 13 weeks for that first appointment?
3. What was the average wait time?

Question 6

1. How many children with suspected autism are currently waiting for their first diagnostic appointment?
2. What is the average wait time for these children?
3. How many of these children have been waiting for more than 13 weeks?

What are the longest three wait times for these children?

Trust response:

The data provided below for Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) for CYP 5+ relates to the Umbrella Pathway Service in Worcestershire, which is part of the Trust Community Team and is commissioned to provide U18 ASD services for Worcestershire - see Trust website for further information: Our Services | Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust (hacw.nhs.uk). 

The Umbrella Service in Worcestershire are responsible for diagnosis of for ASD, although there are a range of different services feeding into the diagnosis process.  Our response information below includes both the initial first planning contact, and the following discussion meeting/contact where the diagnosis is made.

Please note the data included in our response relates to Worcestershire only, see below * for Herefordshire.

Question 1 - 2022

A.        Numbers of planning contacts (first appointment):  374

Number of diagnosis discussion contacts: 770

B.        More than 13 weeks for their planning contact: 14

C.        Average wait for planning contact: 5.46 weeks

Average wait to diagnosis discussion contact: 52.51 weeks

D.        Planning contact 3 longest waits: 20,22 and 32 weeks

Diagnosis discussion contact 3 longest waits: 124, 128 and 134 weeks.

Question 2 - 2021

A.        Number of planning contacts (first appointment): 630

Number of diagnosis discussion contacts: 619

B.        More than 13 weeks for their planning contact: 40

C.        Average wait for planning contact: 8.02 weeks

Average wait to diagnosis discussion contact: 67.43 weeks

D.        Planning contact 3 longest waits: 26,27 and 29 weeks

Diagnosis discussion contact 3 longest waits: 124, 128 and 134 weeks.

Question 4 - 2020

A.        Numbers of planning contacts (first appointment): 645

Number of diagnosis discussion contacts: 695

B.       Due to the way this information was previously recorded we are unable to provide this information. See also **

C.        Average wait for planning contact: 18.57 weeks

Average wait to diagnosis discussion contact: 76.75 weeks

Question 5 - 2019

A-C.    Due to the way this information was previously recorded we are unable to              provide this information. See also  **

A. We are only able to provide the total number of patients open to the Umbrella Pathway Service without a diagnosis (709 patients) at the end of March.  We are unable to break this down by suspected autism.  These patients would have been seen a number of times but not yet received a diagnosis - they can been seen by a number of different specialities, before attending their diagnostic appointment.

Question 6 as of end of March 2022

B. The average wait is 24 weeks. Again, we are unable to break this down by suspected autism.  These patients would have been seen a number of times but not yet received a diagnosis - they can been seen by a number of different specialities, before attending their diagnostic appointment.

C. 519 patients waiting more than 13 weeks. Again, we are unable to break this down by suspected autism.  These patients would have been seen a number of times but not yet received a diagnosis - they can been seen by a number of different specialities, before attending their diagnostic appointment.

D. 62 weeks, 66 weeks and 72 weeks.  Again, we are unable to break this down by suspected autism.  These patients would have been seen a number of times but not yet received a diagnosis - they can been seen by a number of different specialities, before attending their diagnostic appointment.

* Herefordshire:

Herefordshire CAMHS is commissioned to assess for Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Children and Young People (CYP) aged 10 and above, so we deliver only part of the ASD assessment requirement in Herefordshire on behalf of the CCG.  Until very recently, the service did not have separate caseloads for the recording of diagnosis for CYP with ASD and we are therefore unable to provide this information without a **manual trawl of all patient records. The ASD offer has been part of the ‘core’ offer and so we are unable to filter out the required information.

** The Trust does not centrally record this information and estimates that it would take a significant amount of time to gather the information requested. Therefore, we are refusing this section of your request for information pursuant to section 12 of the Act on the grounds that we estimate that the cost of complying with the request would exceed the appropriate limit. The appropriate limit at the present time is £450.00 which equates to eighteen hours of work by a member of staff at the rate of £25 per hour.

Please be aware that although this information is accurate at the time it is provided, it may not be in the future and should not be relied upon.