As part of World Autism Acceptance Month, we wanted to highlight our Autism Care Navigation Service, currently delivered in the London borough of Brent.
According to last year’s report by Nuffield Trust, the number of patients waiting for an autism assessment in England was at its highest level since current data started in 2019 and there’s consequently a huge demand for autism services.
At The Advocacy Project, we help people speak up and make decisions about their health, wellbeing, and social care. As part of this, we work with neurodivergent individuals and other organisations to identify health inequalities and reduce people’s barriers to healthcare. We make sure organisations are using appropriate language and communications in their outreach as well as facilitate people to be involved in designing, setting up, monitoring and reviewing services.
As of December last year there were over 200,000 people with an open referral of suspected autism. Our Autism Care Navigation service provides information about local health and social care services and supports those who have received a diagnosis of autism or are on the waiting list for an autism assessment. Our Autism Spectrum Care Navigator, Natasha, continues to work closely with Brent’s Health and Social Care teams, playing a vital role in shaping the Brent Autism Partnership Board.
Among many achievements of this service, one of the most rewarding has been the creation of the Autism Café at Chalkhill Community Centre. This vibrant and welcoming space has become a hub for reducing social isolation, encouraging new friendships, and offering valuable peer support.
The café is a powerful platform for autistic residents to share their lived experiences directly with Brent Council leaders, contributing to ongoing co-production work to improve local services.
In addition to regular gatherings, the café has hosted informative sessions on topics such as health passports, patient rights, and more. A recent focus has been on supporting autistic residents back into employment—a crucial step toward inclusion and independence.
And as one regular attendee beautifully put it:
“The Autism Care Navigator is the best support I have come across. It’s individual and very caring. Provides good signposting and support.”
You can read more information about our Autism Care Navigation Service in Brent here. We’re proud of how this work supports the NHS Long Term plan to provide focused support for autistic people and their families and improves the quality of autism diagnostic pathways for both pre and post diagnostic support.
With a stark increase in the waiting time for a first appointment of suspected autism, the need has never been greater. If you are living or working in Brent and think you could benefit from our services or would like to find out more about partnering with us in this work, then please contact our Autism Care Navigator: Natasha Vidal: