We are an adult service - we accept referrals for service users over the age of 16.

If you think your patient would benefit from a referral to our service, you need to complete a referral form.

When we receive a referral, we will assess it and if appropriate they will be put on our waiting list. We will send out a letter to confirm if they have been placed on our waiting list, or to explain why we cannot accept them for assessment.

We may find it useful to direct service users on the waiting list for assessment, to our support and resources pages. If we do not think a referral for an autism assessment is appropriate, we will direct them to other possible services and resources that may be of help.

Unfortunately we cannot accept self-referrals. 

If you are a GP or another suitable healthcare professional, you can refer your patient for autism assessment at our clinic by filling in this form.

Once you have completed the referral - and ensured consent from your patient - you need to either:

• email it to SAANS@shsc.nhs.uk
• send in the post to Sheffield Adult Autism and Neurodevelopmental Service, Michael Carlisle Centre, 75 Osborne Road, Sheffield, S11 9BF

If you are a health professional making a referral to our service you can take a look at our guidance for referrers and eligibility and selection criteria here. 

Should you have any clinical queries please email SAANSClinicalQueries@shsc.nhs.uk

Alongside your referral, service users are required to complete and return 4 questionnaires. These are typically sent out via post but are also available by email on request.

A service user should complete the questionnaires with if possible both:

• someone who has known them well as an adult - an 'adult informant' - such as a parent, partner, sibling or close friend)
• someone who knew them well as a child - please note this is not essential to be assessed or diagnosed

They need to send the completed questionnaires back to us within 6 weeks. If your patient is struggling to complete the questionnaires, please advise them to contact the service for support with this.

Please note that we cannot accept referrals for anyone who has been diagnosed with a learning disability. 

For people who have a Sheffield GP and an existing diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), we can offer our Understanding Autism psychoeducation group, either face-to-face or online.

Before we can accept a referral for the group, we would require evidence of ASD diagnosis if this was not completed by our service (e.g., diagnostic report)

For some people not suitable for the group, we may offer time-limited one-to-one support, where their core difficulties are related to autism. For us to adequately triage your referral, please include details of the referral reason and your client’s goals in section 2. 

Indirect interventions (via consultation with other health professionals)

Where people are accessing support from other services, for example for co-existing mental health difficulties, SAANS can provide advice, consultation, and training to professionals to support their understanding of autism, incorporating autism-friendly strategies and reasonable adjustments.  Consultation can be accessed by professionals by emailing: SAANSClinicalQueries@shsc.nhs.uk.

Information for referrers   

• Referrals for post-diagnostic support can be made by GPs or other health professionals on our service referral form 
• Referrals from Children's Services (CAMHS or Ryegate), must be discussed in the transitions meeting and be made on the transitions referral form
• Referrals for post-diagnostic support must include evidence of an autism diagnosis (e.g., a copy of the diagnostic report) unless the person was previously diagnosed by our service
• The referral and diagnostic report will be screened against our eligibility criteria and, if accepted, the Understanding Autism group will be offered as a first option, unless deemed inappropriate based on referral information or the person has already accessed this
• Referrals for specialist intervention will be considered against our service criteria and allocated to the relevant professional group for further screening and assessment

SAANS services are for short-term and targeted therapy or support only. If autistic people require other types of support, please refer to an appropriate service. It is important to note that being autistic should not prevent someone from accessing other mainstream services. However, reasonable adjustments to the environment or therapeutic approach may be required to ensure the person is able to fully engage in any support.

• For further assessment and support with long-term care needs related to a diagnosis of autism, please consider a referral to Adult Social Care at Sheffield City Council
• For support with finding or remaining in employment, we recommend the following services:
  • Autism Plus Specialist Employment Support
  • Spectrum E 
  • The Autism Centre for Supported Employment
• The Adult Autism Support Hub can provide helpful information and advice and support autistic people aged 16 plus to connect with local community groups.
• For assessment and support for mental health difficulties, please refer to your local mental health service. 
• For urgent support with a mental health crisis, please call 111