Written question WQ96821
- Asked by
- Paul DaviesConservative
- To be answered by
- Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 4 days
Question
How is the Welsh Government working with Hywel Dda University Health Board to reduce the number of children waiting for an autism spectrum disorder assessment?
Answer
Answered by Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing
All health boards are reducing waiting times for children’s neurodevelopmental assessments. As a result of service transformation and additional investment of £3m, an extra 2,166 assessments were carried out between January and March 2025. We have eliminated four-year waits across Wales. While progress has been made, we must go further and faster because families and children continue to wait too long for an assessment.
As I set out in a written statement on 27 June, I am re-orientating the Neurodivergence Improvement Programme in 2025-26 to sustain and accelerate further reductions. I am setting the target of eliminating all three-year waits by March 2026, but many health boards will be able to achieve lower waiting times as a result. Hywel Dda University Health Board will receive £980,000 to undertake this work.
NHS Performance and Improvement will be working alongside each health board to agree their waiting list reduction and transformation plans and I will closely monitor progress.