Date & Venue:
Microsoft Teams (Online Meeting)
Key Highlights:
- Leadership & Governance Updates:
- Minutes and action log approved.
- Ongoing discussions about autistic representation on the Learning Disability & Autism (LD&A) Programme Board.
- Poll to be issued regarding NAPB joining the Coalition for Change.
- Diagnosis Waiting List Updates:
- Adult Diagnosis: 954 adults waiting (48% increase since the last initiative to reduce waiting times).
- Children & Young People: 6,250 children on the waiting list (Norfolk Community & Health Trust), 3,040 at James Paget Hospital.
- One-off funding secured to reduce wait times and support transition from children’s to adult services.
- Discussions on the need for sustainable funding and lobbying for improved resources.
- Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) Statement:
- Document reviewed, with minor edits required.
- Board agreed NAPB logo should be used instead of individual organisation logos.
- Training links to be added before publication.
- LeDeR (Learning from Lives & Deaths) Presentation:
- LeDeR reviews deaths of autistic people and those with learning disabilities to improve care.
- Key findings: Suicide, misadventure, and respiratory conditions are leading causes of death.
- Concerns raised about underreporting due to a lack of autism diagnosis records in GP systems.
- Norfolk Autism Directory Development:
- Task & Finish Group to be formed for co-producing an autism directory.
- Five planned sessions to design and test usability.
- NAPB Two-Page Briefing:
- Drafted to summarise the board’s purpose and priorities.
- Approved in principle, pending grammar and formatting refinements.
- Other Key Announcements:
- Request for autistic representation on the Making It Real Board—autistic members invited to express interest.
- ICB conducting a survey on long-term dental care plans for Norfolk—NAPB to discuss submitting a response.
- Signposting documents for autistic adults to be reviewed and published.
Next Steps:
- Finalise and publish the PDA position statement.
- Continue work on reducing waiting times and securing sustainable diagnosis funding.
- Form Task & Finish Group for autism directory development.
- Review and publish signposting information for autistic adults.
Next Meeting: 26 March 2024, Microsoft Teams.
To read the full minutes click here