PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Neurology (27 January 2020)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will provide (a) clear commissioning guidance to clinical commissioning groups so that they are able to commission effectively for people with neurological conditions and (b) clarity on organisational responsibility for the provision of services for people with those conditions.

Asked by:
Sir John Hayes (Conservative)

As seen in a report from Public Health England in 2018, there has been an increase in deaths associated with neurological conditions. The report highlights two major factors that are likely to be contributing to the increase in associated deaths; the success of the National Health Service in improving survival rates from other conditions such as heart disease and cancer, and better diagnosis and recognition of neurological conditions, a range of which are progressive and cannot be cured.

The report provides important data in supporting commissioners and services planners to better understand the burden of disease, and services that are needed to our changing population. NHS England and NHS Improvement work to provide tailored national support which enables local commissioners and providers to drive improvement and ensure services best reflect the needs of individual communities.

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