Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 29 April 2021 to Question 186169 on Kidney Diseases: Young People, what processes are in place to ensure that the paediatric renal service specification is effective in benefiting the mental health of young people on dialysis.

NHS England and NHS Improvement’s paediatric renal service specification sets out national standards for renal services, including the importance of mental health support for children. There are monthly clinical quality review meetings with hospitals on the quality standards, where providers of specialised services assess their service against the key requirements of the service specifications on an annual basis. Trusts and regional commissioners will discuss where standards are not fully met to support local action, including standards on mental health. The quality of specialised services is also assessed by regional teams.