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Lookup NU author(s): Hannah MerrickORCiD, Helen Taylor, Dr Barry Ingham, Dr Tracy Finch, Sarah Al-Ashmori, Ruby Herrington, Dr Cristina Fernandez-GarciaORCiD, Rhianna Lees, Tomos Robinson, Professor James WasonORCiD, Professor Colin Wilson, Professor Jeremy ParrORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© The Author(s) 2026. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).Autistic people experience higher rates of physical and mental health conditions and face barriers to accessing healthcare. This study evaluated the acceptability and implementation of a co-designed primary care health check for autistic people (18 years+), delivered within a randomised controlled trial in Northern England investigating clinical and cost-effectiveness. Following health checks, all autistic people, carers/supporters, and clinicians were invited to complete evaluation questionnaires and a subset invited for an interview. Eighty-one autistic people, 11 carers/supporters, and 18 clinicians returned questionnaires and were descriptively analysed; 44 participants were interviewed. Findings demonstrated that the pre-appointment questionnaire and health check appointment were reported to be acceptable, valued and beneficial by all groups. Carers/supporters reported positive impacts of their role in reducing anxiety and supporting communication. Interview analysis, informed by Normalisation Process Theory, highlighted important factors to consider for implementation of the health check at scale. This included the importance of providing clear guidance and resources ahead of the health check and ensuring enough funding and capacity in primary care. Health checks can be delivered to autistic people in local neighbourhoods to address heath inequalities. Health checks require adequate resources, staff training, and integration into care systems to ensure successful implementation and sustainability. Lay Improving healthcare for autistic people: a study of a new primary care health check Autistic people often face more health problems and shorter average life expectancy compared to non-autistic people. They can also find it harder to access healthcare that meets their needs. To help with this, researchers developed a new health check specifically for autistic people to be used in general practice settings. This health check included a pre-appointment questionnaire to help prepare for the visit and a longer appointment with a trained clinician. This study looked at how acceptable the health check was for autistic people, their carers/supporters, and clinicians, and what factors will help it work well in practice. It used questionnaires and interviews to collect views from autistic people who received the health check, clinicians who delivered it, and carers/supporters who attended the appointment. Most autistic people thought the health check was helpful and they would attend one again. The pre-appointment questionnaire helped people share important information, although some found it difficult to complete and some people needed support to complete it. Carers/supporters also found the process helpful in supporting the autistic adult and improving communication. Clinicians said they were able to put adjustments in place, use the clinician health check template, and found the extra time and structure the health check provided useful. However, they mentioned needing more resources and support to make it work in everyday practice. The interviews showed that autistic people, carers/supporters, and clinicians thought the health check is a good idea and should be offered more widely. It is important to make sure autistic people understand what to expect from the health check and that they can ask for adjustments to meet their needs. For the health check to work well long term, general practice settings will need funding, staff training in autism awareness, and clear systems for delivering the health checks.
Author(s): Merrick H, Taylor H, Ingham B, Finch T, Al-Ashmori S, Herrington R, Scarlett C, Buckley C, Cooper S-A, Fernandez-Garcia C, Haining S, Lees R, Lennox N, Moss S, Nicholls T, Nicolaidis C, Osborne M, Raymaker DM, Robinson T, Urbanowicz A, Wason JMS, Wilson C, Parr JR
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Autism
Year: 2026
Pages: epub ahead of print
Online publication date: 16/06/2026
Acceptance date: 02/04/2018
Date deposited: 30/06/2026
ISSN (print): 1362-3613
ISSN (electronic): 1461-7005
Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd
URL: https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361326143310
DOI: 10.1177/13623613261433106
Data Access Statement: The final trial dataset (anonymised) is initially only accessible by the Trial Management Team lead by the co-lead investigators (J.R.P. and B.I.). The anonymised datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study will subsequently be available upon request from the corresponding author. Quantitative and qualitative data will become available from June 2026 until 2034. The data will be shared with academic and health service profes sionals for pre-specified analyses through a contract with Newcastle University as decided by the Chief Investigators and Health Checks for Autistic People Consortium.
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