PEOPLE with autism are being left in “limbo” as some have to wait as long as three years to get an assessment for their condition.

Healthwatch Bradford is about to release a new report into access to support for people with autism in Bradford, and it reveals the challenges faced by people with the condition.

It shows that people face long waits to be assessed, and until then they struggle to access support. Many are forced to pay for private assessments, or seek assessments from services outside the district.

The report will give examples of where people with autism have encountered professionals who do not understand their communication needs, and adds: "The cumulative impact of these issues has an often devastating effect on the mental health of autistic people and their families."

The report, to be published next week, will be discussed by members of Bradford Council's Health and Social Care Scrutiny Committee on Thursday.

Healthwatch told the Telegraph & Argus that the current situation was "not good enough" and is calling for improved access to diagnosis and increased awareness of autism across all services.

It is estimated that 1.1 per cent of the UK's population is autistic, which would mean there are roughly 5,877 autistic people within the Bradford district.

Adults who are seeking a diagnosis are referred to the Bradford and Airedale Neurodevelopment Service (BANDS), but the report points out that this service has been closed to new referrals since 2016.

It adds: "Unsurprisingly, given that BANDS remains closed to new referrals, we have continued to hear from people who have experienced long waits for assessments. One person who contacted us, for example, had been waiting for three years. People told us how important accessing a diagnosis can be. In part, this is because it helps them understand themselves and their lives better; it is also vital as without one, people are left in limbo, unable to access tailored supports to meet their needs."

The report concludes: "Autistic people in Bradford are currently struggling to get the help that they need to live a fulfilling, happy, and independent life. The ongoing problems with access to diagnostic assessment have left people in limbo, in some cases for several years. Without a diagnosis, adults in particular are unable to access support, which can make it difficult to live well, stay in education or employment. It can also have a negative effect on people’s mental health."

A mother of an autistic 16-year-old, who asked to remain anonymous, told the T&A: "We have had many issues accessing support, this involved missing a year of education because a member of staff was absent from work and unable to feed into his assessment of need. Also some of the services that are available have not been able to meet his needs.

"We did finally find a great school, but as a result of all the difficulties we experienced over the years he is very socially isolated."

Sarah Hutchinson, manager of Healthwatch Bradford and District, said: “Over the past few years we’ve heard from many autistic people and their families about how hard it is to get a diagnosis or the support they need to live well. We published a report last year that focused on the challenges accessing a diagnosis, and following that, we continued to hear that this remains a problem - the waiting list remains closed.

“But we also heard from people about how difficult it is to get the right support. Adults can only receive specialist support if they have a diagnosis, but we heard that even when people can access support, they don’t always get enough to meet their needs.

“As a result, people have to rely on non-specialist services, and too often staff don’t understand their needs. It’s also difficult to find out information about diagnosis and support, and these problems combine to leave people vulnerable and miserable.

“This is not good enough. We are therefore publishing a full report on this at the start of September, to ensure that the voices of those who have shared their stories with us are heard. Our report sets out a number of recommendations. These including improving access to diagnosis, providing specialist support to people who are waiting for a diagnosis, and improving awareness and understanding of autism across all services that support autistic people.”

A spokesperson for the three clinical commissioning groups in Bradford district and Craven said: “We are aware of the long waiting times between being referred to a specialist for an adult autism assessment and receiving a diagnosis. We appreciate how frustrating and difficult this is for those waiting, as well as for their families.

“We closely monitor the services we commission and, as a result, have committed more funding to enable a review of those on the waiting list and expedite their diagnosis. We are also working with our partners on a more sustainable model of service provision across West Yorkshire.”

The committee will meet in City Hall at 4.30pm on Thursday.