Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that people who have Huntington's disease can access mental health services.

Patients with Huntington's Disease have access to a range of mental health support, through general practitioners, local mental health services, specialised neurology services and clinical geneticists and genetic counsellors through the clinical genomic service.

The clinical genomic service specification is currently being reviewed, which includes strengthening access to mental health support services. The revised specification will be subject to public consultation before final approval. NHS England’s neuroscience transformation programme is developing optimal pathways for neurology services, which include common principles regarding access to appropriate timely mental health support.

In addition, the neuropsychiatry service specification is in development, which will outline the multi-disciplinary approach to caring for patients with complex neurological conditions who require specialised assessment and mental health support.