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Adult autism service
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About the service
The adult autism service is a specialist service dedicated to supporting people who are seeking a new diagnostic assessment. We offer a comprehensive specialist diagnostic assessment that includes a full medical and social history and uses validated diagnostic instruments as recommended by NICE. The service is for people who are 18 years or above and do not have a learning disability.
Our office base is Manygates Clinic in Wakefield, however, we use a number of community bases in Dewsbury, Huddersfield, Halifax and Barnsley.
Our pathway is compliant with the NHS England guidance for Integrated Care Boards issued in April 2023 and so the decision for the diagnosis is made using a multiple disciplinary team approach: NHS England » A national framework to deliver improved outcomes in all-age autism assessment pathways: guidance for integrated care boards
Service users have access to a multi-disciplinary team which includes doctors, nurses, psychologists, occupational therapists, speech & language therapists, physician associates, pharmacists and administration staff. We are able to provide the best available care in an accessible, friendly and approachable manner.
Given the broad range of healthcare professionals in the team we are able to offer post diagnostic support and interventions for people who receive a diagnosis from us. This can include:
- Information and education around autism
- Up to two sessions of post diagnostic support
- Up to eight sessions of bespoke, person-centred interventions. These may be in a group setting or on an individual basis.
- Signposting for carer assessments, information and support
What can be provided will depend on what your NHS commissioner is able to fund for you.
Specialist social work support is also available from the team or from our local authority partners, depending upon the area of residence. The team has established links with local service user support networks and agencies. These positive relationships enable us signpost or refer individuals to other appropriate local community services.
As recommended by NHSE Guidance, the team meet regularly to discuss cases as a group. “Consensus diagnosis meetings” provide opportunities to:
- present information gathered about a person.
- identify potential gaps in information before completing the assessment and determine how this can be best obtained.
- consider multidisciplinary perspectives about the formulation, including views about whether the person is autistic.
- outline recommendations to be shared with the person.
Staff you may meet
- There are more than 60 different specialities that doctors work within the NHS. Each is unique but there are many characteristics which are common. Roles range from working in a hospital to being based in the community as a GP.
- Nurses who choose to specialise in the mental health branch of nursing work with GPs, psychiatrists, psychologists, and others, to help care for patients. Increasingly, care is given in the community, with mental health nurses visiting patients and their families at home, in residential centres, in prisons or in specialist clinics or units.
- Occupational therapy is the assessment and treatment of physical and psychiatric conditions using specific, purposeful activity to prevent disability and promote independent function in all aspects of daily life.
- Adult psychotherapists work with people to assess and treat a range of emotional, social or mental health issues. They help people tackle problems such as behavioural issues, common challenges such as anxiety and depression or more complex or severe issues, such as psychosis or a personality disorder diagnosis.
- Receptionists are the first link for many patients and visitors. They often work on their own or with one or two other receptionists, greeting patients as they arrive and check them in. They might also collect patient notes and ensure that these vital records go to the right healthcare professional. In a clinic, they may make appointments and arrange patient transport.
- Social workers help, support and protect people who are facing difficulties in their lives. They help people to take positive steps to overcome problems and improve their lives. This could involve assessing and reviewing a service user’s situation, building relationships with service users and their families and agreeing what practical support someone needs.
Useful links
Referrals accepted from:
Consultants, GPs
Referral criteria:
Our service is for adults who are 18 or above, who do not have a learning disability.
Adults with a learning disability can receive support from specialist learning disability services. Under 18’s can be referred to local children’s services.
Many GP practices are able to refer directly to the Service using an electronic referral form. For those who do not have this facility, referrals can be made directly to the Service or via the Trust’s single point of access team using the autism referral form.
We are unable to accept self-referrals. If you would like to be referred, please speak to your GP.
When you are invited for an assessment
If your referral meets the criteria, you will be sent an information pack which will include questions for you to answer and send back to us, this is to help us understand more about your difficulties and how we can help. We can help you to complete it if needed. When we receive the pack back from you, we will be able to offer you a first appointment. This is usually a face-to-face appointment in one of our clinics closest to your home.
We might be able to tell you that you do not have autism after this first assessment, or we might ask you to attend appointments for further assessment.
When the assessment process is complete, we will advise you of the outcome. If you do not have autism, we will explain why and advise you of next steps. If you do have autism, we will advise you of the support we can offer to you if you want it.
Service user and carer feedback is very important to us. All feedback is welcomed and can help us to improve our service.
Please note that the feedback described here may relate to the ADHD and/or Autism pathway, some feedback is anonymous and it is not always possible to identify the relevant pathway included in comments.
Long waiting times for assessment are a national problem and despite expanding our team to increase the number of assessments we can carry out, demand remains extremely high. We appreciate that this is frustrating and we are working with partners to find solutions. Please see the link to Waiting Times on the page for more information on waiting times in your area.
Recent feedback:
“I wanted to thank the dedicated team who have supported me in finding the support I’ve clearly needed for a long time. I am now at a point where my life has improved drastically, with the help of medication and a deeper understanding of my ADHD. I was under the care of XX who was fantastic throughout, providing not only the right guidance and support, but also some enlightening insight into how neurodiversity can play such a complex role in people’s lives, and how it can be managed, and ultimately treated.” – , May 24.
“Can we personally thank you for all the time, advice and support you have given our family and particularly my brother. We have never had such support for him. He has almost reached 60 years of age before he was given any guidance and support, regarding his needs with his health. You have made such a difference to his confidence and his wellbeing. Every one of you that has visited and supported him are incredibly helpful and have such a wonderful manner about you. XX, we have no words for you! You are an absolute credit to your profession and we cannot thank you enough.” – , June 24
“I was hoping that you could pass this email on to **** and the other autism assessors/ occupational therapist. I wanted to let them know, and the wider service that your support has been life changing and I feel that my life has begun at 49….I really just wanted to say thank you. I know dealing with the public is super hard and stressful, you do such a life changing and valuable job every day. I also wanted to say thank you to the person that picks up the phone in reception because I might not have made my first assessment appointment, she was so lovely and patient on the phone that it gave me the courage to do so.” - May 2025
“The clinicians are kind, caring and listen to what I say they really want to help I feel heard and taken care of” - July 2025
“Fast and delt with me amazing understood and listened to everything I had to say I felt listened and like after so long I’m finally get the help I needed thankyou” - July 2025
“Friendly! Explained everything I needed explaining so I felt informed in making the right decisions for myself” - September 2025
“I want to say from the bottom of my heart, thank you, thank you for listening to me, thank you for taking the time to assess me and thank you for helping me change my life for the positive, your support and understanding. Without the service I don’t know where I would have ended up. The life of someone with undiagnosed ADHD for me was lonely, frustrating life, filled with self-loathing because I didn’t understand why I could not JUST… now I know I CAN and I WILL. Please don’t underestimate the effect you have on people’s lives every day, you support them to get the help they need to understand themselves better and how to adapt to make life less challenging on a daily basis.” - October 2025
You said, We did….
| I would have preferred to see the same person for medication appointments | We redesigned clinic plans in every locality so that the same clinicians attend clinics on a 4-weekly cycle.
We strive to maintain consistency in medication titration appointments and ensure there are no interruptions or delays in treatment. In the event of planned or unplanned staff absences, we will offer appointments with an alternative clinician who has full access to the individual's notes and care plans. This means people will be reviewed and receive prescriptions at the right time and avoids a delay in the optimisation of their treatment. Additionally, this means we can flow people more efficiently through the titration pathway and reduces waiting times. People are able to agree their next mutually convenient medication appointment with their clinician. |
| I had long waits between appointments | Sometimes this cannot be avoided, however we made improvements to booking arrangements and we continue to monitor closely to reduce waiting. |
| My pharmacist could not provide the medication prescribed | Unfortunately, this is a national problem. Demand for certain types of ADHD medication has exceeded supply since 2023. We have supported people in taking medication breaks where appropriate or suggested safe alternatives |
| Suggestions of topics to include in social skills group following an Autism diagnosis. | Our multidisciplinary team members are going to review the suggestions and consider how these could be included in future social skills events. |
How can I complain about or compliment the service I received?
There are several ways you can provide feedback about your experience:
- Each appointment with the service automatically triggers a ‘Friends & Family Test’ survey to your mobile phone – you are encouraged to complete this.
- You may be asked to provide feedback via an electronic tablet (if available)
- You can also email the service via ADHDandAutismService@swyt.nhs.uk
- You can contact our customer services team on customerservices@swyt.nhs.uk or 0800 587 2108
How long will I need to wait for an assessment appointment in Barnsley or Wakefield?
In line with NHSE guidance and at the request of commissioners, the Service reviews each referral to ensure that assessments are only offered if it is clinically appropriate to do so. This means most people who are accepted for assessment are invited to start the assessment process within 4 weeks of their referral date.
We are able to advise you of the number of people currently waiting and the typical referral date for people currently being invited for assessment, this might help you to make decisions about your referral.
| Number of adults waiting for assessment | Typical referral date of those currently being invited for assessment | |
| Barnsley | 3 | January 2026 |
| Wakefield | 0 | No waiting list |
How long will I need to wait for an assessment appointment in Kirklees?
In line with NHSE guidance and at the request of commissioners, the service reviews each referral to ensure that assessments are only offered if it is clinically appropriate to do so. In Kirklees, people are invited to a face to face referral clinic appointment to discuss their referral and their difficulties before this review takes place.
We are able to advise you of the number of people currently waiting for a referral discussion and the typical referral date for people currently being invited to these appointments.
| Number of adults waiting for a referral clinic appointment offer | Typical referral date of those currently being offered an appointment | |
| Kirklees | 70 | January 2026 |
Should you be accepted for an assessment, you are likely to be invited to start the assessment process within 4 weeks of your Referral Clinic appointment.
How long will I need to wait for an assessment appointment in Calderdale?
At the request of commissioners, all referrals from Calderdale are accepted for assessment. This means waiting times are significantly longer.
| Number of adults waiting for assessment | Typical referral date of those currently being invited for assessment | |
| Calderdale | 253 | April 2024 |
If you are on our waiting list, but no longer need an assessment here, please let us know by emailing ADHDandAutismService@swyt.nhs.uk. Please quote your full name, address and date of birth when contacting us by email. Thank you.
Note: This information will be updated every 3 months
Contact details for the organisations listed are correct at the time of writing but are subject to change.
National Services
- Samaritans - https://www.samaritans.org/
National mental health and crisis listening help line.
Call for free at any time on 116 123
- SHOUT – https://giveusashout.org/
Text the word 'SHOUT' to 85258. A free, confidential, anonymous text support service for 24/7 mental health support. Website also provides online resources and coping strategies.
- MIND - www.mind.org.uk
National mental health charity with local services in Leeds, Barnsley and Bradford. Website provides lots of helpful information including ways to help yourself cope in a crisis, online peer support community “Side by Side”, and a guide to accessing support services.
- Richmond Fellowship - https://www.richmondfellowship.org.uk/
UK Charity providing information on a range of national and local support services including community, housing, employment, crisis and domestic abuse support
- Rethink Mental Illness - https://www.rethink.org/
Offers help on a wide range of topics such as the Mental Health Act, community care, welfare benefits, and carers rights, as well as general information about living with mental illness, medication and care.
- SANE - www.sane.org.uk
National mental health charity offering an out-of-hours helpline (SANEline) for specialist emotional support, guidance and information to anyone affected by mental illness, including family, friends and carers.
West Yorkshire
- Creative Minds - www.creativemindsuk.com
Creative groups, projects and activities for mental health and wellbeing
- Andy’s Man Club - https://andysmanclub.co.uk/
A judgment-free, confidential space where men can be open about mental health. Free weekly peer-to-peer support groups for men aged over 18. Groups held in Wakefield, Leeds, Dewsbury, Huddersfield, Brighouse, Batley, Barnsley and more.
- MindWell West Yorkshire - www.mindwell-leeds.org.uk
Freephone 24/7 helpline – 0800 1830558
West Yorkshire helpline provides confidential support, advice and information for anyone who is concerned about their mental health or is worried about someone else. Website includes great A to Z list of further support services.
Wakefield
- Wakefield Recovery College - wakefieldrecoverycollege.nhs.uk
Learning courses and online resources for wellbeing and recovery
- Live Well Wakefield - https://www.livewellwakefield.nhs.uk/
Wellbeing resources, courses and workshops
- Turning Point Wakefield - https://talking.turning-point.co.uk/wakefield/
NHS Wakefield talking therapies
NHS individual psychological therapies for mental health, drug and alcohol issues and learning disability. Talking therapies, self-help, groups and workshops
- GASPED - www.gasped.co.uk
Giving Advice and Support for People in Emotional Distress
Face to face and telephone counselling, mental health, addiction and domestic abuse support, peer support groups and practical support with benefits, job applications, finding shelter and signposting to other services
- Well Women Centre Wakefield - org.uk/
Charity providing mental health, emotional and practical support in a women only space, 1:1 counselling, courses and groups.
- Wakefield Council - https://www.wakefield.gov.uk/Housing/
Social care, housing, employment and financial support
- Social Care Direct – https://www.wakefield.gov.uk/
Contact Social Care Direct if you or someone you know appears to need adult social care services in Wakefield
- Wakefield First - https://wakefieldfirst.com/
Employment support and adult education classes
Kirklees
- Kirklees NHS Talking Therapies - https://kirkleesiapt.co.uk/
NHS individual talking therapies, online self-help, digital mental health support programme Silver Cloud, how to self-refer
- Kirklees Wellness Service – https://kirkleeswellnessservice.co.uk/
Mental health and wellbeing programmes and online resources
- Calderdale and Kirklees Recovery College - nhs.uk
Learning courses and online resources for wellbeing and recovery
- Kirklees Council - https://www.kirklees.gov.uk
Information and advice on adult and children’s social care, needs assessments, community mental health, housing, financial and employment support
- HOOT - www.hootcreativearts.co.uk
A Kirklees based arts and mental health charity providing a range of services and groups including adult mental health services, wellbeing at work, creative self-care strategies and criminal justice system support
- Well-Bean Crisis Café – touchstonesupport.org.uk/wellbean-cafe
A safe space for Kirklees residents who are experiencing crisis. It offers a warm, person-centred approach to crisis support. Huddersfield - 07741 900395. Dewsbury - 07867 028755.
- Fusion Housing - https://www.fusionhousing.org.uk/
A range of housing support services in Kirklees including housing advice, managed tenancy, legal aid, food bank and employment support
- Community Links Engagement and Recovery Service (CLEAR) - https://www.commlinks.co.uk/
Group-based mental health and wellbeing service providing a range of social, self-help, leisure and skills-based activities in Huddersfield and Dewsbury
- Community Plus - kirkleescommunityplus.co.uk
Access support from a range of organisations to overcome challenges in your life. Groups, activities, social connections, volunteering and employment opportunities and more.
Calderdale
- Calderdale NHS Talking Therapies - https://calderdaleiapt.nhs.uk/
NHS individual talking therapies, self-help, digital mental health support programme “Silver Cloud”
- Healthy Minds Calderdale - healthymindscalderdale.co.uk
Information on local mental health services, group activities, SafeSpace scheme, Walks for Wellbeing
- Calderdale and Kirklees Recovery College - nhs.uk
Learning courses and online resources for wellbeing and recovery
- VitaMinds Calderdale – www.vitahealthgroup.co.uk
VitaMinds is a free and confidential NHS service. They offer a range of short-term psychological therapies to adults, who live and are registered with a GP in Calderdale. Website provides self-help, info on support groups and how to self-refer.
- Calderdale Council - calderdale.gov.uk
Information and advice on adult and children’s social care, community mental health, housing, financial and employment support
- Staying Well Calderdale – www.stayingwellhub.com
Staying Well work with individuals and communities to help people feel less lonely and isolated. Support to discover new things in your local area and make that first step out of the door.
Barnsley
- Barnsley NHS Talking Therapies - https://www.barnsleyiapt.co.uk/
NHS individual talking therapies, counselling, self-help, digital mental health support programme Silver Cloud
- Live Well Barnsley - https://www.livewellbarnsley.co.uk/
Wellbeing resources, courses and workshops
- Barnsley Council - barnsley.gov.uk
Information and advice on adult and children’s social care, mental health, housing, financial and employment support
- Barnsley Recovery College - www.barnsleyrecoverycollege.nhs.uk
Learning courses and online resources for wellbeing and recovery
- Enterprising Barnsley - www.enterprisingbarnsley.co.uk
Employment skills training and support
- Good Work Barnsley - www.findgoodwork.co.uk
Good Work supports amazing people – including those living with a severe mental health condition – to find, stay and thrive in employment. Offers 1:1 employment support.
- HumanKind Barnsley Recovery Steps - https://humankindcharity.org.uk/
Provides free and confidential support to help you manage, reduce or stop your drug or alcohol use
- HumanKind Barnsley - humankindcharity.org.uk/service/umbrella/
Free and confidential service including mental health and wellbeing support and counselling