Elaine Hill Appointed As The New Specialist Advisor For Autism, Dept Of Health, UK

Main Category: Autism
Article Date: 28 Oct 2008 - 2:00 PST

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Elaine Hill has been appointed as the new Specialist Advisor for Autism at the Department of Health.

Working four days a week, Elaine's responsibilities in her new role will be to lead the development of an adult autism strategy. She will advise on the needs of people with autistic spectrum conditions (ASC) in policy work on projects for social care and health services.

An important part of her role will be to engage and build sustainable frameworks with key stakeholders.

Care Services Minister Phil Hope said:
"I am pleased that Elaine Hill has accepted this key role as the new Autism Adviser. Her experiences in working with people with autistic Spectrum conditions (ASC), including assisting in commissioning and delivering services to people with ASC, make her an ideal candidate to develop an adult autism strategy. I look forward to working with her."

Elaine Hill said:
"I am very excited about the prospect of being able to take forward key developments for people with autism and their families. The appointment of a Specialist Advisor for Autism with the DH is a really vital and positive step and one that is not without significant challenges. In that role I am really looking forward to addressing the obstacles that people with autism and their carers experience in receiving the help and the support they need in their daily lives. I hope to be able to develop a key National Strategy for people with autism that will help to realise personalised support services and ensure prompt access to that support."

Elaine Hill is currently the head of the North East Autism Consortium (NEAC) which comprises 12 local authorities and PCTs in the North East. Her role, as the first head of this organisation, has been to provide leadership to the PCTs, local authorities and other key agencies in the region, and to assist in the strategic planning, commissioning and delivery of services to people with autistic spectrum disorders (including Aspergers Syndrome).

Mark Lever, Chief Executive of The National Autistic Society, said:
"The National Autistic Society (NAS) strongly welcomes the appointment of Elaine Hill as a specialist autism advisor within the Department of Health. Expanding capacity, expertise and leadership on autism is great news for individuals and families living with this serious, lifelong and disabling condition. This is a major step towards ensuring that the over half a million people with autism in the UK receive the attention and focus they deserve."

The appointment will start at the end of October 2008.

Department of Health, UK