A LEADING North-East psychiatrist has criticised the lack of NHS hospital places for adults with autism.

The criticisms came as a private hospital for autism sufferers prepared to open.

Dr Tom Berney, who runs one of the few in-patient adult autism units in the country, voiced concerns at a conference in County Durham.

He also revealed that his own unit may be under threat.

The gathering of UK autism experts was a curtain raiser to the opening of a 19-bed private hospital for adults with autism at Newbus Grange, near Darlington today.

While welcoming any additional provision for patients, Dr Berney said the NHS should be providing long-term care to those with more severe autism.

He said: "Apart from our unit there are only three other NHS specialist inpatient centres.

"One is in Exeter, which is closing, one is in Bristol and one is in Birmingham."

The psychiatrist, who is clinical lead for the autism service at Northgate and Prudhoe NHS Trust, in Morpeth, Northumberland, said he was constantly turning away new referrals.

Despite the shortage of places he revealed that the future of the Morpeth unit was uncertain.

"There is a debate going on whether we should continue," he said.

Autism is a serious developmental condition which affects more than 500,000 people in the UK. Sufferers typically have difficulty in making sense of the world.

Eileen Hopkins, from the National Autistic Society, said: "There is a shortage of provision."

Professor Paul Shattock, director of the autism unit at Sunderland University, said: "I am worried about what is happening."

Dr Jonathan Mann, a consultant psychiatrist with Castlebeck Care, the operators of the new private hospital, said most referrals to the unit would come from the NHS or social services.

A spokesman for the Department of Health said: "Under the present system it is for the local NHS and social services to plan and arrange the services available to people in their area."