Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what her Department's policy is on the future of the Rare Disease Collaborative Networks; and whether the NHS will to continue to support their work in improving access to specialist expertise and care for people living with rare diseases.

NHS England has completed its review of Rare Disease Collaborative Networks (RDCNs) and communicated the findings and next steps to existing networks. The review confirmed the important value of RDCNs in connecting specialist expertise and supporting improved pathways, earlier diagnosis, care coordination, and more equitable access to expert advice.

NHS England will continue to support the work of RDCNs, with a focus on supporting collaboration, promoting learning, increasing visibility, and use of data and registries.