AIM

Undertake a randomised controlled trial (RCT) to investigate the feasibility and acceptability of health check delivery, and the effectiveness of the health check at identifying autistic people's health conditions and needs.

When will the trial be running?

This trial will be running from December 2022 to 2024.

How many people will be involved?

We are aiming to recruit 200 autistic adults to take part in the trial.

Who can take part?

Individuals over the age of 18 who have a diagnosis of autism, autism spectrum disorder or Asperger syndrome and who have not had a recent NHS health check. In order to take part your GP practice must be signed up to take part in the trial.

What does taking part in the trial involve?

GP Practices taking part in the trial will be randomly allocated to one of two groups: Autism Health Check Group or Current Primary Care Services Group. Individuals registered at these GP Practices will be invited to take part in the trial. They will find out which group their GP Practice has been allocated to after they have consented to take part in the trial. The two groups are:

1. Autism Health Check Group.  People in this group will be invited to attend a health check by their GP practice. The health check will take place at their GP practice and will be carried out by a relevant health professional.

2. Current Primary Care Services. People in this group will continue to receive the same services from their GP practice as they usually do.

This will allow us to make comparisons because we do not know whether the Autism Health Check is an acceptable treatment that could be delivered within the NHS.

All those who take part will be asked to complete some questionnaires when they join the study and then 3, 6 and 9 months later. These questionnaires will ask for information about your quality of life and use of health and social care services. A researcher can offer support in filling in these questionnaires if this would be helpful. Information about individual's health needs will also be accessed from their primary care health records 9 months after starting the trial.