Skip to main content

Publication, Part of

Autism Waiting Time Statistics - Quarter 1 2019-20 to Quarter 2 2020-21 and Quarter 3 (October to December) 2020-21

Experimental statistics,

Publication Date:
11 Mar 2021
Geographic Coverage:
England
Geographical Granularity:
Country, Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships, Clinical Commissioning Groups, Provider
Date Range:
01 Apr 2019 to 31 Dec 2020

Current Chapter

Autism Waiting Time Statistics - Quarter 1 2019-20 to Quarter 2 2020-21 and Quarter 3 (October to December) 2020-21

View all

Next Chapter

Methodology

Update to methodology in measures ASD01g, ASD01i and their corresponding percentages

An issue in the methodology originally published was identified post-publication in the referral to care contact component of the publication. This related to the cut off date used for a referral to have been discharged from service without a diagnosis or care contact or for a referral to still be waiting for a diagnosis or care contact.

The cut off date used originally for these measures was the end date of each reporting quarter, it has now been changed to the end of the final full quarter of performance data available.

An updated data file is provided below, suffixed with v2.

29 June 2021 09:00 AM

Page contents

Summary

These statistics present two measures of waiting times for autism spectrum disorder diagnostic pathways:

• Waiting time between referral and first care contact for patients with suspected autism

• Waiting time between referral and diagnosis for patients diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder

Each of these measures contributes to an overall picture of waiting times for diagnostic pathways. Both approaches are outlined in the methodology section of this publication.

These are experimental statistics and are published to involve users and stakeholders in their development to build in quality and reliability at an early stage.

During the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, an effect is beginning to appear in the quality and coverage of some of our statistics. We are starting to see differing patterns in the submitted data. Therefore, data should be interpreted with care over the period of the pandemic. For the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are now undertaking some early analysis and reporting to help with monitoring of any impact using existing finalised MHSDS data as well as provisional MHSDS data. The true nature of the impact COVID-19 has had on autism waiting time statistics will not be understood in full for some time.

Waiting time from referral to first care contact

There were 9,868 referrals for suspected autism in quarter two 2020-21 (the latest data), of which 15% had their first care contact within 13 weeks of referral

The cohort for the 13 week waiting time measure has changed since the September 2020 release. The measure is now based on every referral for suspected autism, rather than just those with a recorded care contact. Read more about this methodology change here.

Waiting time from referral to recorded diagnosis

There were 2,989 recorded diagnoses of autism in quarter three 2020/21 (the latest data), of which 43% were recorded within 13 weeks of referral

Waiting time from referral to care contact dashboard

Open the interactive dashboard

This tool is in Microsoft PowerBI which does not fully support all accessibility needs. If you need further assistance, please contact us for help.

Waiting time from referral to recorded diagnosis dashboard

Open the interactive dashboard

This tool is in Microsoft PowerBI which does not fully support all accessibility needs. If you need further assistance, please contact us for help.

Last edited: 6 July 2021 9:39 am