Written question asked by Ellie Reeves (Labour) on Friday, 12 April 2024, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 16 April 2024. It was answered by Maria Caulfield (Conservative) on Thursday, 18 April 2024 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Neurodiversity: Lewisham

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women and girls are waiting for (a) autism and (b) ADHD assessments in the London Borough of Lewisham; and what the average waiting time is for such assessments.

Answer: The information requested is not held centrally, but may be held by individual providers or integrated care boards (ICBs). However, some relevant information is available for autism assessments. In the NHS South East London ICB, in December 2023, there were a total of 1425 patients with an open suspected autism referral. The median waiting time of patients in this ICB with an open suspected autism referral, where their first care contact was in the quarter, was 545 days. Across England, in December 2023, 80,718 female patients had an open suspected autism referral.

Secondary information