A medical environment can be overwhelming for any patient, but to those who are neurodivergent, the sensory challenges involved can be enough to put them off obtaining the healthcare they need.

In recognition of the barriers to care faced by these patients, some doctors are attempting to change the way medical treatment in their workplaces are delivered in an effort to become more inclusive and effective.

Welcome to the sixth episode of The Doctor podcast, brought to you by the British Medical Association.

In this episode, Dr. Giles Armstrong and Dr. Sarah Davies discuss their efforts to make the NHS more accessible for autistic patients.

They share personal experiences, insights, and practical steps they have taken to improve healthcare, including enrolling their workplaces in a specialised award scheme provided by the National Autistic Society.

This episode builds on the feature article ‘Sensory overload – making the NHS more accessible for autistic patients', by Tim Tonkin.

You don’t need to have read the article to enjoy this episode but if you’d like to do so you can find it at: https://thedoctor.bma.org.uk/articles/health-society/sensory-overload-making-the-nhs-more-accessible-for-autistic-patients/

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also be interested in the following articles, on related topics:

• https://thedoctor.bma.org.uk/articles/life-at-work/more-than-able/
• https://thedoctor.bma.org.uk/articles/health-society/the-other-lesser-health-service/

For more information on the organisations mentioned in this episode see below

• National Autistic Society: https://www.autism.org.uk
• Oliver McGowan Training: https://www.olivermcgowan.org.uk

For more stories from The Doctor, follow @TheDrMagazine on X/Twitter, or visit thedoctor.bma.org.uk

Read the full episode transcript at https://thedoctor.bma.org.uk/podcast

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.