Diagnostic assessments during a pandemic

Abstract

■This paper is about how our team changed our service during Covid-19.■We explain how we were able to carry on with assessments for learning disability, autism, and dementia.■This is important because it makes sure people with learning disabilities get the best support.From March 2020, many services had to make rapid changes to standard practice to accommodate new Covid-19 infection prevention control measures. Essential diagnostic assessment of intellectual disability, autism, and dementia continued only following adaptation to usual processes. While face-to-face contact was minimised as much as possible, where it was necessary, new protocols were developed to ensure social distancing, no sharing of resources, and quarantining of materials between assessments. Implications of this, particularly in balancing risk and needs and in the clinical interpretation of assessments, are discussed.