Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of support available to people with multiple sclerosis and other progressive neurological conditions.

The Government is committed to improving access to high‑quality care and treatment for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other progressive neurological conditions.

Through NHS England’s Neurology Transformation Programme, a new model of integrated care has also been developed to support integrated care boards (ICBs) to deliver the right service, at the right time for all neurology patients. This focuses on providing access equitably across the country, with care as close to home as possible, and early intervention to prevent illness and deterioration in patients with long-term neurological conditions, including MS. A toolkit was developed to support ICBs to understand and implement this new model, which includes components on delivering acute neurology services, improving health equity in neurology, and improving community neurology services.

NHS England has published an updated service specification for specialised neurology services, including MS, which sets out clear expectations for proactive, coordinated care to reduce the risk of avoidable complications and emphasises early identification of clinical risks, personalised care planning, and timely access to multidisciplinary support, including specialist nurses, therapists, and community services.

In addition, the GIRFT Programme for Neurology, the RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit, and the model of integrated neurology care developed through the Neurology Transformation Programme support greater consistency, coordination, and sharing of best practice across local systems and geographical areas. NHS England has developed national neurology dashboards, including an MS data dashboard and an interactive adult neurology dashboard, to support systems in monitoring service delivery, benchmarking performance, and understanding the quality of local neurology services.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued guidance on the use of disease‑modifying therapies for MS, supporting clinicians to offer clinically- and cost‑effective treatments based on the best available evidence. ICBs are expected to have regard to NICE guidance to ensure patients can access high‑quality care and treatment. NHS England also supports the implementation of treatment algorithms to promote consistent prescribing and reduce unwarranted variation in access to high‑efficacy therapies.

The 10-Year Health Plan will also support improved care and outcomes for people with MS by focusing on earlier diagnosis, more timely access to specialist treatment, and more coordinated, community‑based care. It will prioritise reducing unwarranted variation in services and strengthening multidisciplinary support, helping people with MS to manage their condition more effectively and maintain their quality of life.

Finally, a UK-wide neuro forum has been convened, bringing together the governments, health services, and Neurological Alliances of all four UK nations. The forum will share learnings across the UK, and discuss important neurology services transformation and workforce challenges, as well as best practice examples and potential solutions.