Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve multiple sclerosis services in NHS hospitals in Devon.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services for their local populations, including for multiple sclerosis (MS). The Government expects ICBs to assess the demand for service provision when designing their local services.

Nationally, there are initiatives to support better care for patients with neurological conditions, such as MS, across England. These include the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology, which is supporting National Health Service trusts throughout England, including in Devon, to improve services by identifying and eliminating variations in care, sharing best practice, and promoting greater efficiency through clinically led reviews of neurology services. This is leading to faster diagnoses, improved access to specialist care and therapies, better coordinated and joined-up services, and better outcomes for people with MS, while also reducing costs and waiting times.

NHS England is responsible for the overall framework of NHS service specifications, which are developed by specialised clinical reference groups in conjunction with specialist clinicians, commissioners, and expert patients. In August, NHS England published a new service specification covering the provision of specialised adult neurology services, including MS services. By setting out a model of care that reflects how services should work together across services and specialisms, the new specification establishes a clear framework to help ensure that care is clinically effective and responsive to patients’ needs. The specification is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/specialised-neurology-services-adults/