Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the (a) adequacy of access for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients to healthcare professional support during the covid-19 outbreak and (b) potential merits of oral therapy options that can make treatment more convenient for MS patients.

No specific assessment has been made. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the NHS in England has maintained access to urgent and emergency care, including for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). For non-urgent care, providers have been rolling out remote consultations using video, telephone, email and text message services as a priority where appropriate.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline Multiple sclerosis in adults: management, updated November 2019, sets out best practice for clinicians in the treatment of MS, which includes guidance on the usage of oral and intravenous treatments for patients with relapse remitting MS.