21 October 2026
Reducing autism assessment waiting time
Easington NHS mental health service for older people has been one of the first nationally to pilot diagnosing autism within the service.
In its first year, the pilot reduced average waiting times for older people accessing secondary mental health care from 118 weeks to 20 weeks.
Increasing recognition of autism in older people
Dr Jonathan Summerill is a clinical psychologist at our trust. He said: “I’m pleased that we’re able to offer more – and faster – assessments for older autistic people.
“Many older people currently do not have the same access to assessment and support for autism, and therefore we aim to increase recognition around this.
“We recognise that a lot of older people who are autistic go undiagnosed throughout most of their lives.
“Knowing someone is autistic can change their care within services.
We've seen people being discharged from services, medication being reviewed, and past diagnosis being looked at.
“It goes beyond a diagnosis. It helps families to understand and support their loved ones as well.”
Research suggests around 90% of middle-aged and older autistic adults in England are undiagnosed.
Expanding assessments across County Durham and Teesside
Following the success of the pilot, autism assessments will now be rolled out across older people’s mental health services in County Durham and Teesside.
Stephanie Foster, a specialist occupational therapist for our trust, says:
“The outcomes for the patients have been fabulous.
“Especially for people who have been treatment-resistive and who’ve been in services a long time.
We've been able to help them understand who they are, why they've felt that way for so long and help them move forward.”
The expansion of autism assessments is supported by the Durham Tees Valley Adult Autism Service, part of our trust.
