Eye care professionals encouraged to share their views on services for people with autistic spectrum disorders
8 September 2010
The National Autistic Society is currently carrying out a survey, jointly commissioned by Skills for Care and Skills for Health and funded by the Department of Health. The purpose is to define the learning needs relating to autism for the generic health and social care workforces (not autism specialists). The Eye Health Alliance is encouraging optometrists, dispensing opticians and employers to complete the short survey about services for people with autism.
A spokesperson for the Eye Health Alliance said, “Many practices will see people with autism, yet may experience difficulties with a lack of knowledge about the person’s condition, and patients may benefit from longer appointment times, although these are currently not funded on the NHS. This survey is an opportunity to highlight these issues and ensure the eye care sector is involved in the development of specialised services.”
The Autism Act 2009 introduced a national strategy to meet the needs of adults in England with autistic spectrum disorders by improving the provision of relevant services (including NHS services). The Department of Health is currently consulting on the guidance that will advise NHS bodies and local authorities on how to implement the strategy.
LOCSU, a member of the Eye Health Alliance, is currently developing a national pathway for adults with autistic spectrum disorder.
The deadline to complete the survey is 12 noon Friday 8 October 2010.
The survey should take no more than 10 minutes to complete:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/YYN9XBS
