(UK) Wirral: University hospital to get "neurodiversity training" to support autistic patients

April 30, 2025, Birkenhead News: Autism ‘experts by experience’ deliver neurodiversity training to hospital staff 

NW England

Wirral University Teaching Hospital (WUTH) has teamed up with local charities to provide training sessions on autism and other neurodivergent conditions to its staff. 

The training workshops have been launched during World Autism Acceptance Month, which raises awareness and acceptance of autism, to help create a society where autistic people are supported, understood, and empowered. . . .

Wirral-based charity Autism Together has provided tailored training workshops to help WUTH staff understand the challenges faced by autistic people, both patients and staff, so that they can take actions to better support them.

The training includes two autistic people as experts by experience, Lauren and Liam, who share experiences of how autism affects their lives, giving their personal accounts of how it can affect them each day.

The Brain Charity has delivered training for managers on neurodiversity, helping them understand how conditions such as autism spectrum condition (ASC), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia can affect how people think, learn, and work, and how these differences can be strengths in the workplace.

Around 1 in 7 people in the UK are neurodivergent, and these sessions aim to equip leaders with the tools to support diverse talent and create inclusive teams.

One of the key messages in the training is that autistic and other neurodivergent people do not all experience the same challenges, so finding out the needs of each person is essential to giving them the right support. . . .

 “The Trust has already put in place several initiatives to support patients with autism and other neurodivergent conditions.

“It has appointed two new specialist nurses to its Safeguarding and Complex Care Team, implemented mandatory training for employees to help them understand and meet the needs of autistic people, and launched a sensory care bag initiative to offer comfort and reduce stress for people with autism and learning disabilities in the emergency department and admission units. It also provides a carer’s passport providing a route to additional support and information.”