Autism research project
Recruiting focus group participants
This project is part of the Culture of Care Programme, and aims to:
- Explore Autistic people’s perspectives and experiences of inpatient care.
- Understand the challenges faced by Autistic people during inpatient admission and identify priorities for improvement.
- Represent and amplify the Autistic inpatient experience and share learning from Autistic lived-experience colleagues.
- Hear from non-Autistic staff about how they understand the Autistic experience.
- Contribute to research on improving mental health care for Autistic people.
Why this matters
Autistic adults often experience poorer mental and physical health outcomes, longer and more frequent inpatient stays, and worse inpatient experiences than other patient groups. Some staff also report a lack of training on how to support Autistic people in an inpatient environment, leading to variations in care.
We hope this research will lead to improvements for both patients and staff.
To learn more about this research project, and its aims and objectives, please view our:
Who we’re looking for
We are inviting:
- Members of the Autistic Lived Experience Culture of Care delivery team.
- Autistic staff in lived-experience roles within NHS trusts/organisations participating in the Culture of Care programme.
- Non-Autistic ward staff working on any ward involved in the Culture of Care programme.
Want to take part?
We’re running online focus groups to reflect on results from the Culture of Care patient experience surveys and gain insights from your experience as a staff member. The dates of the focus groups are listed below.
To register your interest in participating in the focus group, scan the QR code below or click on this link to complete the registration form.
Please register your interest by 12:00pm, Monday 16 February.
Focus group registration form QR code:
When will the focus groups be?
- Autistic Lived Experience CofC Delivery Team:
Wednesday 11 March 2026 - Autistic Lived Experience staff (excl. Delivery Team):
Wednesday 18 March 2026 - Non-Autistic ward staff:
Wednesday 25 March 2026