When these guidelines were originally written they did not take into account the different needs of people with learning disabilities and autism (as well as others). There was a campaign to get them amended and this has been quickly achieved. It is worth knowing what they say (and having them to hand) in case someone you are supporting needs to go to hospital.
The guidelines are called: COVID-19 rapid guideline: critical care in adults.
Section 1 covers admission to hospital and tells clinicians:
‘Be aware of the limitations of using the CFS as the sole assessment of frailty. The CFS should not be used in younger people, people with stable long-term disabilities (for example, cerebral palsy), learning disabilities or autism. An individualised assessment is recommended in all cases where the CFS is not appropriate.’
CFS means Critical Frailty Scale and is a tool used to assess a person’s frailty due to underlying conditions (other than COVID-19)
Here is the link https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng159/chapter/1-Admission-to-hospital
It is also worth making sure a person’s Hospital Passport and/or Communication Passport is up-to-date.