1 “ Autism and General Practice ” Why is it so important?

 Unrecognised/undiagnosed  Poor access to health care without reasonable adjustments  Premature deaths (CIPOLD)  Missed opportunities to take part in screening  35% have epilepsy  70% have additional mental health problems  Carers health needs not recognised Unmet health need

 Under represented in training – many adults not yet recognised as having ASD  A spectrum condition – everyone is different  Patchy access to good quality specialist services  No long term secondary care follow up – episodes of care from CLDT or mental health services  Poor social care support  Sometimes “difficult” or demanding patients  Behaviour that challenges others Challenges for General Practice

 Affects just 1.1% of population  But costs more than cancer, heart disease or strokes  £32billion a year  Mainly in lost opportunity for employment and social support costs  Plus expensive placements for care  Plus costs to criminal justice system  A little more spending in NHS could generate significant savings elsewhere The financial cost of autism

 Department of Health funded training for all areas of public service – transport, prisons, police, GP’s…….  Specific training for General Practice  Available to deliver in your own practice  Include in new staff induction  No need for staff to take time out to fulfill the statutory guidelines  A resource to refer back to when needed Connect to Autism