Tourette's Syndrome: Diagnosis and Medical Treatments
(asked on 23rd February 2026) - View Source
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to (a) include Tourette syndrome in neurodevelopmental strategy work and (b) mandate Integrated Care Boards to establish diagnostic and treatment pathways similar to those for autism and epilepsy.
There are no current plans to produce a Neurodevelopmental Strategy. On 23 January 2026, we published our response to the House of Lords Autism Act 2009 Inquiry Committee’s report, Time to deliver: The Autism Act 2009 and the new autism strategy. We welcomed the committee’s report, and are carefully considering its recommendations, as well as our approach to developing a new national autism strategy, and we will set out a position in due course.
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for assessing local population need and for commissioning appropriate diagnostic and treatment pathways for neurological conditions, including Tourette syndrome. While the Department has not undertaken a national assessment of provision across ICBs, we recognise the concerns raised about variation in diagnosis and support. To help address this, NHS England’s Getting it Right First Time programme is working with ICBs to develop clear, consistent diagnostic and treatment pathways.
NHS England’s Learning Hub hosts an e-learning module, Understanding Tourette’s Syndrome, which was produced by Tourette’s Action. It aims to improve understanding of the condition, its co-occurring features, and the impact it has on individuals, as well as to dispel misconceptions that surround it and other tic disorders.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has produced guidance on suspected neurological conditions, which includes recommendations on treatment for tics and involuntary movements in adults and children. The guidance can be found via the following link: