Autism Hampshire has been awarded the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Autism and ADHD Information, Advice and Guidance Service and Community Hubs contract, which will see dedicated support delivered for adults on the Isle of Wight from April 2026.
Commissioned by NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board, the new service will go live on 1st April 2026 and run for 3 years, with an optional 1-year extension.
The service will include a dedicated Autism and ADHD Community Hub for adults aged 18 and over on the Isle of Wight, delivered locally by AIM Isle of Wight as the Island partner. The Isle of Wight hub will form part of a wider network of 4 hubs across Hampshire, Southampton and the Isle of Wight.
In addition to the Isle of Wight hub, the contract will provide a Hampshire and Isle of Wight-wide digital and telephone Information, Advice and Guidance service, ensuring residents can access support whether online, by phone or in person.
Autism Hampshire, part of Avenues Group, will lead delivery of the contract in collaboration with Hampshire Mind CIC, which comprises Andover Mind, Havant and East Hants Mind, Solent Mind and AIM Isle of Wight.
The new service model places partnership working and lived experience at its core. Organisations and people with lived experience of autism and ADHD will co-design, co-deliver and co-evaluate all elements of the service.
Cheryl Claxon, Head of Community Services at Autism Hampshire, has said:
“We are incredibly proud to be leading this service in partnership with organisations who share our commitment to co production and lived experience.
Article continues below this advertisement “This model allows us to build on our current services, while expanding support to include ADHD and ensuring autistic and ADHD adults are at the heart of shaping services that truly meet their needs.”
Autism Hampshire currently delivers autism Information, Advice and Guidance services in the region. The new contract expands the model to include ADHD and embeds co production throughout service development.
The strengthened offer aims to increase access to early support, help reduce crises and ensure services are shaped by those with direct lived experience of autism and ADHD.
Further information about the Isle of Wight service, recruitment opportunities and details of the co production process are expected to be shared ahead of the April 2026 launch.
For more information, visit www.autismhampshire.org.uk.
More pigs at the trough. The actual amount of people with Autism that really does affect their lives is minimal. Most people on the spectrum (I include myself on this list) just get on with their lives and learn to accept their differences in order to fit in comfortably with societal norms. Why must the masses need to over backwards for a very small minority? Benefits?