Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of assistive communications equipment for people with motor neurone disease; and what steps his Department has taken to improve such provision.

Since 1 April 2013 NHS England has been responsible for commissioning Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) aids for patients with complex disability whose needs require specialised assessment.

NHS England has identified an additional £22.5 million funding for AAC and Environmental Controls in 2014-15. They have been working closely with the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) to ensure this funding is equitably distributed across England in a fair and consistent manner. The MNDA are representing all patients on the panel which is reviewing this funding allocation.

The service specification and management protocols for this service contain clear standards for providers to supply communication devices within an agreed timescale depending on the complexity. The specification can be found at:

www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/commissioning/spec-services/npc-crg/group-d/d01/