Huddersfield MP Barry Sheerman is leading a parliamentary inquiry into gaps in services for people with autism.
The Labour member, who has an autistic grandson, is heading up the first investigation of the newly formed Westminster Commission on Autism.
And the inquiry has found that lack of leadership, data and training within the NHS means autistic people are faced with significant obstacles in accessing healthcare.
Of the 900 autistic people, parents of autistic children and health professionals studied, 74 per cent of respondents thought that people with autism received ‘worse’ or ‘much worse’ healthcare than those without the condition.
And 65 per cent thought that healthcare professionals ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ understood autism and how it affected someone’s physical and mental health.
Despite legislation that encourages doctors to make adjustments for disabled patients, more than three quarters of autistic people surveyed said their GP did not make any reasonable adjustments for them.
Mr Sheerman said: “We are probably falling behind other European nations in providing good healthcare to people with autism because we simply do not know who they are or what their health needs are.
“That is why the commission is calling for better training and data collection, for inspections of services to consider the needs of autistic patients, for all autistic people to be offered an annual health check and for NHS England to appoint a National Clinical Director for Autism.”
