Norfolk Autism Partnership Board

Meeting summary

Norfolk Autism Partnership Board Meeting Summary
Meeting Date: 28th January 2025
Venue: Microsoft Teams
Duration: 13:00 – 15:00

Purpose of the Meeting
The Norfolk Autism Partnership Board (NAPB) met to discuss a range of topics related to autism services and support across Norfolk. The meeting focused on updates about adult autism diagnosis waiting times, training developments, the Autism Strategy Oversight Group progress, and planning for Autism Acceptance Week 2025. The board also considered ongoing actions and future plans to improve services and inclusion.

Key Updates and Discussions

Diagnosis Waits Update
The board was provided an update on adult autism diagnosis waiting times for those without a learning disability. The service receives an average of 68 referrals per month and currently has 1,177 adults waiting for assessment. The average number of assessments completed monthly is 18. Regarding waiting periods, no one has waited longer than 200 weeks. The waiting list breakdown is as follows: 20 people waiting between 200 and 104 weeks, 610 between 104 and 52 weeks, 390 between 52 and 18 weeks, and 157 less than 18 weeks.

The year-on-year demand for assessments was reviewed. Referrals increased significantly from 2020 to 2023 but decreased by 25 percent in 2024 compared to the previous year. Questions were raised about how many people are exercising their right to choose diagnosis providers outside the service and how many assessment options are currently available. The board noted that general practitioners inform patients about adult autism diagnostic pathways and available support options, including the right to choose providers under national contracts. Norfolk is aware of 7 or 8 providers submitting invoices for assessments.

It was highlighted that tracking data for people exercising the right to choose is challenging because individuals do not always inform the service if they obtain assessments privately and may not provide reasons for leaving the waiting list. The goal is to improve this tracking by ensuring individuals who choose alternative providers are removed from the waiting list. The board agreed that commissioners would explore data availability about right to choose assessments and that this information would be shared at the next meeting.

Oliver McGowan Training Update
An update on the Oliver McGowan training programme was shared. Due to scheduling, a pre-recorded progress report was provided. Over the past six months, significant recruitment efforts have been made, resulting in a trained and supervised team of 36 members that includes autistic experts, learning disability experts, and facilitators. The team includes people with various experiences and conditions related to autism and learning disabilities.

Systems for booking training courses (Tier 1 and Tier 2) have been established, with governance processes in place such as information-sharing agreements and enhanced background checks for experts. The training team has built partnerships across Norfolk and Waveney with organisations such as NHS England, local councils, hospitals, and support services. Emphasis is placed on a person-centred approach, offering support to experts with practical barriers like travel anxiety.

Planned training opportunities include approximately 200 Tier 1 webinars and 500 Tier 2 sessions for 2025. The board was encouraged to share information about the training team and to help recruit more experts. The training programme also offers opportunities for progression, such as moving into facilitator roles or developing independent training ventures.

Strategy Oversight Group Update
The Autism Strategy Oversight Group, consisting of autistic people, parents, and board members, has been meeting regularly. Between September and November 2024, the group developed the Year One Plan for improving autism services and support. The plan was approved by the board in principle and published after receiving sign-off from the Norfolk & Waveney Integrated Care Board.

The oversight group continues to monitor progress on the Year One Plan. They meet every two months to review action updates, identify areas of good practice, and raise concerns to the board. Recent progress includes plans for increased involvement from children’s services and police representatives, as well as engagement with the court system through new contacts provided by a court representative.

A progress reporting format has been developed, which includes clear status indicators to highlight whether actions are on track, behind, or yet to start. The next step for the oversight group is to meet in early March 2025 to review progress and decide what to highlight to the board at the March meeting.

Autism Acceptance Week Planning
The Norfolk Autism Partnership has committed to planning events for Autism Acceptance Week, which runs from 31st March to 6th April 2025. The theme will be “Colour,” focusing on improving understanding and inclusion of autism. To support event organisation, the board agreed that forming a Task and Finish Group would be valuable. This group should include autistic individuals, parents and carers, service providers, and people with experience in event planning.

Members interested in contributing to the group are encouraged to get involved. The first meeting is scheduled for early February 2025, with the group deciding on future meeting frequency and activities.

Other Business and Next Steps
The board will have a presence at the Co-Production event on 9th July 2025 and is seeking members to attend and support a video project celebrating co-production achievements. Members are encouraged to participate.

It was noted that the Autism Service Norfolk contract will transfer to a new provider, ABL Health, after a selection process completed in December 2024. The transition is underway, and details will be shared with the board when available. An agenda item will be arranged for the next meeting to discuss this further.

Future Meeting Dates
The board scheduled its next meetings for 25th March, 27th May, 29th July, and 25th November 2025, all from 13:00 to 15:00.

Summary
This meeting focused on key updates about autism diagnosis waiting times and pathways, training developments under the Oliver McGowan programme, and progress reviewing the multi-agency Autism Strategy Year One Plan. The board also progressed plans for Autism Acceptance Week events and discussed upcoming provider changes for autism services. Actions include exploring data on the right to choose autism assessments, continuing to monitor progress on strategic actions, supporting training recruitment and participation, forming a task group for event planning, and preparing for service transition discussions at the next meeting.