Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to introduce evoke spinal chord stimulation technology for treatment of chronic back and leg pain through the NHS.

The commissioning of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is the responsibility of clinical commissioning groups. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Technology Appraisal ‘Spinal cord stimulation for chronic pain of neuropathic or ischaemic origin’ reviewed in 2014, recommends SCS as a treatment option for adults with chronic pain of neuropathic of ischaemic origin. The guidance is available at the following link:

www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ta159

There are a wide range of SCS devices available, and centres can choose which type of device to implant. The Evoke device is available through the NHS Supply Chain.