Polly Tommey, the founder and trustee of The Autism Trust, welcomed yesterday’s government announcement that thousands of patients will be taken out of NHS funded private hospitals and placed in community-based care.

Polly said, “Thousands of young people with Autism and learning disabilities have been placed in care that is now seen to be inappropriate. The Autism Trust has campaigned for years on this issue. Young people with autism need to be in care that is safe and mindful of the person’s needs. It needs to be near their home and also needs to provide them with work, a social life and a stable caring environment. In many cases this is simply not happening.”

In contrast, over the last few months The Autism Trust has developed Polly’s Place in Sunninghill, Berkshire. This social enterprise store was developed by Polly Tommey to enable people with autism to lead fulfilling and rewarding lives. It provides retail and administrative experiences and showcases the artistic talents of people with an autism spectrum disorder. The Autism Trust is also promoting home working as a recognisable economic solution and encouraging homemade and handmade as an artisan skill to be celebrated and compensated for. This is the beginning of a project that will eventually provide a community based resource, enabling young autistic people to sample “real world living” by working in the community. Being developed alongside it is the concept of a Whole Health Learning Clinic offering a range of specialist training to parents and professional care staff to promote the health and wellbeing of people with autism.