Dear Ms Bower,  
   
Thank you for your correspondence of 7 January to the Prime Minister about training in dealing with autism for front line workers. Your correspondence has been transferred to the Department of Health and Social Care, and I have been asked to reply.  
 
I appreciate the concerns you have raised.  
 
The department understands the importance of people being able to access timely diagnosis, to ensure they access the care they need to fulfil their potential. The department is currently developing a UK-wide campaign to increase public awareness and understanding of ADHD, and to dispel ingrained and unhelpful stereotypes. More information about this campaign will be available in due course. The department wants all medical professionals to take neurodiversity seriously, and they are required to follow the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline for referring children and adults for an ADHD or autism diagnosis. 
 
The Government has now introduced a requirement for registered service providers to ensure their employees receive learning disability and autism training appropriate to their role. This is set out in the Health and Care Act 2022, which came into force on 1 July 2022. To support this, the Government has also made significant progress on the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism. This was trialled in England during 2021, with over 8,000 people taking part. This training is intended to ensure that health and social care staff have the skills and knowledge to provide safe, compassionate and informed care to people with learning disabilities and/or autism. 
 
Decisions on the provision of ADHD assessments, medication reviews, and help and support for people waiting for an assessment are the responsibility of local NHS commissioners, which should plan services to meet the needs of their communities. 
 
I hope this reply is helpful.