Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru	National Assembly for Wales
Bil Awtistiaeth (Cymru) drafft	Draft Autism (Wales) Bill
Llythyr Ymgynghori DAB27	Consultation Letter DAB27
Ymateb gan Coleg Nyrsio Brenhinol Cymru	Evidence from Royal College of Nursing Wales

Please refer to questions in the Consultation Letter.

The Royal College of Nursing Wales is grateful for the opportunity to respond to the consultation on the draft Autism (Wales) Bill. We would like to raise a number of points in relation to the draft legislation:

1. The Royal College of Nursing remains broadly supportive of the overall aim of the draft legislation and commends the intention to raise the profile of the needs of children, young people and adults with autism spectrum conditions and the aim to meet their needs appropriately and effectively.

2. As expressed in our response to the initial consultation on the proposed legislation last year, amongst the “relevant bodies”, it may be worth considering other key stakeholders such as within education, housing and transport. Health Boards and local authorities are not the only bodies who, arguably, who should have a duty to meet the needs of those living with autism. Furthermore, we would suggest that in addition to the duty on relevant bodies to have regard to the autism strategy and guidance, there should be an additional duty for these bodies to evidence exactly how they are complying with this duty via a formal reporting measure. This will help ensure that relevant bodies engage with the strategy in a meaningful way, and improve accountability.

3. In relation to the requirements in the draft legislation around timescales for diagnosis and assessment, an additional requirement should be included which requires that workforce planning reflects the needs of the service. It is important to ensure that the workforce are able to meet the needs of the population, and that reasonable actions are taken in order to ensure that this is the case.

4. The Royal College of Nursing does not take a firm view on whether or not it is useful for the Bill to include a list of professionals who may form the multi- disciplinary team for diagnostic team assessment. If the approach is to be truly person-centred, then arguably the list of appropriate professionals would vary from depending on the individual. However, if a list is to be included then it should include Registered Nurses, including Children’s Nurses, School Nurses, Health Visitors and Learning Disability Nurses.

5. The final point we would like to make is in relation to the types of data to be collected by Welsh Ministers to enable them to carry out functions under the Bill. Whilst the Royal College does not take a firm view on whether or not the types of data to be collected should be specified on the face of the Bill, we would suggest that data being collected should include details on language, and what the preferred language of the individual is and the language in which the diagnosis was carried out.

About the Royal College of Nursing

The RCN is the world’s largest professional union of nurses, representing over 430,000 nurses, midwives, health visitors and nursing students, including over 25,000 members in Wales. The majority of RCN members work in the NHS with around a quarter working in the independent sector. The RCN works locally, nationally and internationally to promote standards of care and the interests of patients and nurses, and of nursing as a profession. The RCN is a UK-wide organisation, with its own National Boards for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The RCN is a major contributor to nursing practice, standards of care, and public policy as it affects health and nursing. The RCN represents nurses and nursing, promotes excellence inpractice and shapes health policies.