Dr. Catherine Long:

We all feel for families left waiting for long periods - longer than they should be - to receive a thorough assessment. That is the position in many areas of the country. It is absolutely right to say that is not acceptable. Our concern is that the proposed solution is not a solution. It removes the legal right for an assessment given under the Disability Act 2005 and potentially places people on a waiting list where they would have no legal right and would have to wait as long as required by service and resource demands.

There is geographical variation around the country. Assessments are provided on a timely basis in some areas but there are also many areas where they are not provided in a timely manner. We view that as a resourcing issue. Resources cost money, which is limited, and resources allocation is the constant problem within any service. Investment needs to be made in services. The broad base of evidence consistently shows the provision of early intervention saves money and reduces costs in the long run. One Australian study on providing early intervention services to a child with autism estimated lifetime savings of between 750,000 and 1.3 million Australian dollars per child. The benefits came from reduced support in adulthood, reduced services, increased employment rates and reduced mental health difficulties. While there is a short-term cost to increasing resources, the evidence shows an economic saving in the long run, as well as a human saving, from supporting children and families and giving them the best chance.

I reiterate Mr. Allen's point about the constraints the SOP document places on clinicians regarding autonomy and decision-making. We do not do assessments if we believe they are not necessary. Psychological assessment can be complex and there can be differential diagnoses. We need the freedom to do the assessment we consider necessary to give an appropriate diagnosis as otherwise there is a risk of giving an inappropriate diagnosis.