Health Services
How to make your GP practice/environment autism friendly
How to make your GP practice autism friendly
- Undertake staff autism awareness training in line with the local autism strategy.
- Place alert on patients notes to identify autism.
- Offer information leaflets to patients detailing how to make appointments, obtain medication and other services offered in written/electronic form.
- Offer ability to book appointments online
- Offer ability to book first thing or last appointment of the day.
- Offer slightly longer appointment time either at the beginning or end of the clinical session.
- Give higher priority order than would be normal in triage clinics/urgent appointments as may have unusual response to pain/illness or very high pain threshold.
- Offer touch screen booking in for appointments
- Offer quiet corner in waiting room.
- Offer ability to wait in car and be called in for appointment.
- Possibly ask an autistic person to attend your PPG (Patient Participation Group) or offer electronic route for feedback/comments rather than face to face or group attendance.
- Autistic Spectrum Disorders are a recognised disability and diagnosis can open pathways to make life easier for the patient.
- Diagnosis helps individuals make sense of the world around them, their history and difficulties.
- Better understanding of the self helps planning for the future.
- Families, friends, carers, employers, criminal justice system and educational establishments are helped to understand, accept and respond appropriately to individuals needs.
- Diagnosis helps individuals’ access appropriate support.
- Better understanding of a person can help consultations, dynamics within the surgery, access to and engagement with medical services.
- There is a possibility that many undiagnosed individuals with ASD are frequent surgery/out of hours and casualty attendees as well as generating/seeking multiple referrals.
- Identify potential options that patient expects from referral.
- Indicate the medical, psychological, educational, and social impact of the person's autism on the referral form.
- Document name and nature of any support person. And try to recommend they attend the out-patient appointment.
- Document any involvement with the criminal justice system as well as employment tribunals, litigation etc.
- Inform patient of the assessment procedure and what to expect. An awareness of the diagnostic procedure and support/care is available locally through Autism Hampshire.
- Identification of concurrent medical conditions and extent of engagement with healthcare system.
- Identification of any carers and any issues pertaining to them that may affect the patients care/support. (illness etc).
- Include any pertinent paediatric/educational psychology reports.
- Attach any written report from the patient/carers of their ideas/issues that lead them to suspect autism.
The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has identified Autistic Spectrum Disorder as a Clinical Priority. It aims to develop and implement a strategy for primary care. Through the work of the Clinical Champion, the College will work with partners in promoting models of best practice and pathways of care and will develop learning and educational resources.
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The Autism in General Practice course enables GPs to improve the care they and their practice provide for patients with autism. Using video clips of real patients and carers recounting their experiences, this course helps to understand the challenges that autistic people face on a daily basis. elearning.rcgp.org.uk
The College has published an Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) position statement, which aims to present a set of recommendations about how primary care can be supported to increase awareness of possible presentations and diagnoses of ASD, allow equitable access to healthcare for those on the autistic spectrum, and recognise that different consultations skills for those with autism are required.
The BPS has developed three e-learning modules on autism, which appeal to a range of learners by delivering knowledge and understanding from introductory to specialised levels. The e-learning modules are delivered via the BPS Learning Centre. The BPS has worked in partnership with psychologists with expertise in autism and an e-learning provider to produce and deliver these modules. Two modules are freely available to both members and non-members of the BPS and the third is aimed principally at psychologists and all professionals working in this field.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists aims to engage in expanding knowledge about the psychiatry of learning disability and autism. If you encounter any difficulties opening these links, please contact the Royal College of Psychiatrists on
Tel: 02072 352351.