PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Neurology (27 January 2020)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of people living with a neurological condition have access to community rehabilitation for that condition; and what plans his Department has to increase that proportion.

Asked by:
Sir John Hayes (Conservative)

No specific assessment has been made on the cost-effectiveness of community rehabilitation. As the majority of rehabilitation services are provided locally, to support commissioners in the delivery of high-quality rehabilitation care, NHS England has provided guidance. In 2015, NHS England published ‘The Principles and Expectations for Good Adult Rehabilitation’ to support commissioners deliver suitable rehabilitation care locally. In 2016, NHS England published further rehabilitation guidance, setting out a commissioning model and the evidence base for delivering high quality, cost-effective rehabilitation services. Both sets of guidance can be found at the following links:

www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/rehabilitation-comms-guid-16-17.pdf
www.networks.nhs.uk/nhs-networks/clinical-commissioning-community/documents/principles-and-expectations

For patients with complex rehabilitation needs, NHS England commissions specialised rehabilitation services at a national level to an agreed service specification. These provide intensive treatment and expert support.

To access the adequacy of rehabilitation access, the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership, on behalf of NHS England, commissioned The National Clinical Audit of Specialist Rehabilitation for Patients with Complex Needs Following Major Injury. NHS England published three reports between June 2016 and April 2019, exploring service performance and outcomes for those receiving specialised rehabilitation care. The reports highlight a range of positive performance results as well as areas for improvement.

Answered by:
Dame Caroline Dinenage (Conservative)
4 February 2020