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 reduce the level of inequality in access to migraine diagnosis and treatment among socio-economically disadvantaged groups.

The 10-Year Health Plan explicitly states that the National Health Service will be designed to tackle health inequalities in access and outcomes, and will be a service equipped to narrow health inequalities, and address inequalities for specific population groups, such as those in working class jobs.

The NHS has a crucial role to play in reducing health inequalities by tackling inequalities in access to, experiences of, and outcomes from healthcare delivery, including for people with migraine.

The three key shifts set out in the 10-Year Health Plan will be central to narrowing health inequalities, through: neighbourhood health models of care; ensuring digital inclusion is embedded in digital advances; and in the shift to prevention using population health approaches to tailor interventions for those experiencing inequalities. The plan also makes commitments on specific population groups and social risk assessments to anchor policy and prevention.

Responsibility for commissioning migraine services rests with integrated care boards (ICBs), which are best placed to plan and deliver services that meet the needs of their local populations. This includes access to primary care, specialist neurology services, and newer treatments where clinically indicated.

Advanced foundation trusts will be able to effectively use their freedoms to work with their patients, staff, and communities to improve the broader health of their population and tackle health inequalities, including for those with migraine.