Kingwood in the news

Since 2018, we have been commissioned and funded by the NHS BOB  (Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire & Berkshire) ICB (Integrated Care Board) to deliver adult diagnosis for adults living in Oxfordshire.

The service we provide is called OAADSS – the Oxfordshire Adults Autism Diagnosis and Support Service.

In 2018, we received £235k to deliver 150 diagnostic assessments by autism specialist psychologists, and to provide post-diagnostic support, limited one-to one support and an information and advice service.

Since 2018, the rate of referral has increased significantly year on year, but we have received no increase in annual funding, despite repeated requests. There are now over 2000 people on the OAADSS waiting list, which would take 18 years to clear.

This autumn, given the severity of the situation, both the OAADSS lead and our Chief Executive were proactive in funding negotiations with NHS BOB ICB, but as soon as it was confirmed that no additional funds were available to reduce the backlog, Autism at Kingwood made the difficult decision to close the OAADSS waiting list and not accept any more referrals.

Everybody on the waiting list has been informed of their potential likely wait. Earlier this year, we informed potential new referrals that the wait list was over 10 years and signposted them to the NHS England Right to Choose pathway via their GP as an alternative option.

Sarah Butcher, Chief Executive says:
“Closing the waiting list was not something we wanted to do, but we believe we have a moral obligation to do this. We will continue to provide a diagnosis for those on our waiting list, and we remain hopeful that BOB ICB will be in a position to increase their funding to us in the future, so that we can provide increased diagnosis for people in Oxfordshire.”

A lack of NHS diagnostic funding is a nationwide issue and is currently being reported in the media. Our story received coverage in yesterday’s Sunday Mirror and Sunday Times.