An innovative free resource to assist hospital staff working with patients with autism is being launched by Baroness Angela Browning and the National Autistic Society (NAS), the UK's leading charity for people affected by the lifelong developmental disability.

Autism affects around 700,000 people in the UK and impacts how a person communicates with others and relates to the world around them. As a result, a visit to the unfamiliar environment of a hospital can be an incredibly challenging and distressing experience for someone with the condition.

The autism hospital passport aims to change this. Backed by the Department of Health and NHS England, the passport is a short booklet designed to accompany the general notes that medical professionals refer to when treating a patient. The passport contains personalised information about an individual and further essential information about the condition to help people with autism to communicate their needs to doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals.

---