Skip to main content

Publication, Part of

Autism Waiting Time Statistics - Quarter 2 2019-20 to Quarter 1 2020-21 and Quarter 2 (July to September) 2020-21

Experimental statistics,

Publication Date:
10 Dec 2020
Geographic Coverage:
England
Geographical Granularity:
Country, Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships, Clinical Commissioning Groups, Provider
Date Range:
01 Jul 2019 to 30 Sep 2020

Previous Chapter

Overview

Current Chapter

Methodology

View all

Next Chapter

Construction

Methodological change in calculation of waiting time rates

The following change affects only the rate of completion of an initial care contact within a specified time for individuals with a referral record for suspected autism in MHSDS.

In August and September's releases, the waiting time measures ASD03, ASD04, ASD05, ASD06, ASD07 and ASD08 were all calculated from the denominator ASD02 (number of referrals for suspected autism in the reporting period that have a first care contact recorded). This has now changed and the above listed measures are now calculated from the denominator ASD01 (number of referrals for suspected autism in the reporting period).

10 December 2020 09:30 AM

Page contents

Methodology

Analytical approach

There are two approaches to autism waiting time statistics published here; referred to as a “forward model” and a “reverse model”. Both contribute to a detailed picture of the experience of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnostic pathways.

Forward model approach

The forward model takes all referrals in a specified reporting period where the reason for the referral is suspected autism. We then look forward in time to the date of the first care contact related to those referrals. The waiting time taken here is the time from initial referral to the first care contact.

As illustrated above, the waiting time measured in the forward model (represented by the blue arrow) is the time between the initial referral date, coded as suspected autism, to the date of the first attended care contact (appointment) for that referral.

Reverse model approach

The reverse model takes all new diagnoses for autism in a specified reporting period. We then look back in time to the initial referral date for that diagnosis. This approach only relies on past data as all the events being measured have already happened at the time of diagnosis being recorded.

As illustrated above, the waiting time measured in the reverse model (represented by the blue arrow) is the time between an initial referral being made (irrespective of the coded reason for referral) and a formal diagnosis of autism being recorded.

More detailed descriptions of the analysis undertaken can be found on the construction page of this publication, found here.

These statistics are based on the information collected from the Mental Health Services Dataset. Further detail on the information captured within the Mental Health Services Dataset (MHSDS) is available here.

Last edited: 6 July 2021 9:35 am

Previous Chapter

Overview

Next Chapter

Construction