People with autism will benefit from better services, with the help of a new blueprint for commissioning high quality care published by Care Services Minister, Phil Hope today.

Phil Hope is calling upon the NHS to help drive improvements in services for people with autism, starting with using the best practice guidance.

The publication 'Services for adults with autistic spectrum conditions (ASC): good practice advice for primary care trust and local authority commissioners' is being published to coincide with World Autism Day.

It provides good practice advice for NHS and Local Authority staff including:

• how to plan services that give young people with autism the right support as they move from using child to adult services;

• developing a better understanding of the needs of people with autism who live locally, to help fit services to their individual requirements; and

• making sure the right services are available to everyone who needs them…