New video guides will help autistic people in Bedfordshire prepare for NHS appointments​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

The new videos will be co-produced by Autism Bedfordshire and run alongside those released earlier this year and funded by the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board.

Each film explains what to expect from NHS appointments and health conditions including Type 2 diabetes, weight management and maternity services and GP practices.

Julia Robson, inequalities programme lead at Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board, said: “Although each individual is different, autistic people are often reluctant to put themselves into situations where they don’t know what will happen to them.

“Over the course of the next 12 months, we will be investing over £78,000 in this set of films, which will explain what happens at different types of health setting, show how the room may be set out and, in some less invasive examples, include footage of the health appointment itself.

“We hope that this model will also work for other groups of patients who are less likely to attend certain types of appointment. Autism Bedfordshire has a very strong track record of working with autistic people and I am really looking forward to seeing the final products. We expect they will literally save lives.”

Heather Wildsmith, Projects Development Manager at Autism Bedfordshire, said: “We have already created a small number of videos for autistic and learning disability adults which are intended to remove the anxiety which can accompany an appointment.”