Written question WQ98503
- Asked by
- Paul DaviesConservative
- To be answered by
- First Minister
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 7 days
Question
How will the Welsh Government improve waiting times for an autism diagnosis in the Hywel Dda University Health Board area?
Answer
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Health and Care (Mabon ap Gwynfor)
The Welsh Government is taking sustained action to reduce waiting times for autism and other neurodevelopmental assessments across Wales, including within Hywel Dda University Health Board. Since 2022, we have invested significantly to expand assessment capacity, improve service models, and strengthen pre‑diagnostic support to ensure individuals can access help while awaiting diagnosis.
Children’s waiting times: Progress is being closely monitored at a national level. The NHS Performance and Improvement team meets monthly with all local health boards, including Hywel Dda University Health Board, to monitor children’s waiting times and track delivery against improvement plans. This provides regular challenge and support to ensure services are improving at pace.
At a local level, Hywel Dda University Health Board has a clear trajectory for improvement. The Health Board is working towards eliminating all three‑year waits for children’s neurodevelopmental assessments by March 2027, supported by continued service transformation and workforce development.
These actions form part of the wider Neurodivergence Improvement Programme, which focuses on improving access to timely assessment, enhancing support pathways, and ensuring more consistent service delivery across Wales.
Adult waiting times: While funding has not been directly targeted at reducing adult waiting times, the Neurodivergence Improvement Programme (NDIP) is working with health boards and Regional Partnership Boards (RPBs) to drive improvements in adult neurodivergence services. This includes applying learning from pathway redesign and transformation within children’s services to adult models.
In July 2025, the then Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing, Sarah Murphy, hosted a roundtable to explore practical solutions to improving adult ADHD assessment pathways and wider support. Building on this, Welsh Government continues to work closely with health boards and RPBs to support system improvement, strengthen oversight, and progress longer-term transformation of adult services.