Patients facing 16-year wait for autism tests as MPs say waiting times must fall

Independent

05-03-2025

A woman awaiting an autism assessment was given a waiting time of at least 16 years, MPs were told, as they said extra money for the NHS must lead to improvements in care and waiting times.
There were also calls from the Labour benches to ensure the Casey Commission into social care did not fundamentally delay a permanent solution for care as the Commons debated health spending on Wednesday.
The Department for Health and Social Care got a £25.6 billion increase in funding in last year's autumn budget, Labour's first since it came into Government.
This takes the overall budget to £201.9 billion according to a House of Commons report.
Chairwoman of the Health and Social Care select committee Layla Moran said the public will be unhappy if the long-awaited funding increase did not lead to better standards, and quicker waiting times.
The Liberal Democrat MP said a 34-year-old constituent was told she could have to wait until her 50s to be assessed for autism.
The Oxford West and Abingdon MP said: 'Now the Government has announced an incredibly welcome £22.6 billion increase in the Health and Social Care day-to-day spend, and that's in addition to the further £3 billion in capital expenditure.
'And it sounds like, and it is, a huge amount of money, and if it's not spent wisely the only thing that will be bigger than the uplift itself is the disappointment of our constituents if it doesn't lead to the change that they so desperately want and need.
'A constituent of mine was referred to her GP for an NHS-funded assessment for autism spectrum disorder. She took tests which all exceeded the threshold, and then she was told that she had to be on a waiting list with an expected wait of 16 to 18 years. Yes, years.
'She's now 34 with young children and waiting for an appointment until she's 51. It's clearly ridiculous.'
Health and Social Care committee member Gregory Stafford agreed on the need for the funding to be matched by improvements.
The Conservative MP for Farnham and Bordon said: 'The Government is pouring billions into the NHS, but without demanding productivity reforms the money is being absorbed by the system instead of reaching the frontline where it is needed the most.'
The Estimates Day debate heard concerns about health coverage being adequate to match growing housing need and a shortage of dental provision.
Labour MP Neil Duncan-Jordan (Poole) raised fears that the independent commission on adult social care reform, led by Baroness Louise Casey, will mean a long-term solution for the issue would be further delayed.
He said a national care service should be formed, and bring together medical, nursing, personal and social care – with free domiciliary and residential care provided to those who are already self-funding.
Mr Duncan-Jordan said: 'There is widespread acceptance that our current social care system is neither sustainable nor fit for purpose.
'For far too long it's been the Cinderella service of the welfare state, overlooked and underfunded and suffering from a number of inherent problems that started to emerge decades ago but which have now become critical as a result of severe cuts to funding and increasing demand.'
He added: 'I'm afraid the new Casey Commission will only delay that debate further in my view.
'Now we have known about the problems for a very long time. Over the last two decades we have had at least 20 commissions, inquiries and reports analysing what is wrong with the system and what might be done to address the problems.
'However successive governments have found the issue too difficult to tackle and have instead favoured short-term answers which have largely left the system untouched.'
Labour MP Clive Betts said at home chemotherapy should be offered on the NHS as he argued it is 'cheaper and it benefits the patients'.
In the Commons, Mr Betts, who is currently being treated for myeloma, said arranging sessions for chemotherapy can be difficult particularly for those travelling 'many, many miles' for appointments at specialist hospitals.
The Sheffield South East MP said one of his consultants has 'developed an idea for at home chemotherapy, it works, it's good'.