Support for referrers and professionals

We are commissioned to provide a high quality, NICE-compliant, autism assessment service for those 16+ in the Birmingham and Solihull area. At present, we do not offer post-diagnostic support but work closely with Autism West Midlands who are able to support individuals both pre- and post-diagnosis.

Who can refer? Individuals must be registered with a Birmingham or Solihull GP and can then be referred to our service by their GP or Community Mental Health Team (CMHT).

Referral criteria

• Service user must be 16+ years (Birmingham) and 18+ years (Solihull).
• AQ-10 must be completed by the service user and scored by the referring team.
• Evidence of differences suggestive of autism in accordance with ICD-11/DSM-5 diagnostic criteria.
• Clinical complexity will be considered on a case-by-case basis regarding suitability for our assessment model (this may include factors such as current mental health presentation, severity of intellectual disability, current risk to self/others, substance misuse, significant visual or hearing impairment).
• We are not commissioned to provide re-assessment (i.e. second opinions).
• We are not a current Right to Choose provider.

Clinical model. When referring, please consider if individuals can access a virtual assessment appointment, or if there are practical or clinical reasons meaning they may require a face-to-face appointment. Please also consider if individuals have sufficient expressive language skills required to engage in an interactive and collaborative assessment process.

Change in circumstances. Given the length of our waitlist, we recognise that prior to accessing their assessment, individuals' circumstances may change. Please inform us, or ask service users to inform us directly, of any change to contact details or if an assessment is no longer required.

Expedited assessments. We recognise that there are instances when individuals on our waitlist may require an expedited (faster) assessment. Expedite requests must be sent to us directly from the individual’s GP, with clear written evidence as to why an expedited assessment is required. These will then be reviewed on a case-by-case basis within a scheduled multidisciplinary meeting. Those deemed to require an expedited request may have needs in the following areas (not an exhaustive list):

• Clear evidence of an increase in risk that is being impacted by a longer wait to access an assessment, and the involvement of other services to manage this risk.
• Significant impact / worsening impact on the service user’s access to education, employment or other supportive services.

If you require further information, please contact us at adultasdconnect@stah.org or call 01604 616543.