To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.


Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
Pain: Health Services
Wednesday 25th May 2022

Asked by: Graham Stuart (Conservative - Beverley and Holderness)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the (a) availability of pain services and (b) Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance’s core offer for pain services.

Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education

No specific assessment has been made. The majority of routine treatment and support for people with chronic pain is provided by local primary, community and secondary care services and commissioned via clinical commissioning groups. For patients with severe and complex pain, NHS England commissions specialised care. Upon referral to specialist centres, patients can access a range of health professionals, including consultant specialists, clinical nurse specialists, psychologists and physiotherapists and receive specialised treatment.

The core offer for pain services produced by the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance is informing guidance on the provision of high-quality services for people living with long-term pain conditions currently being produced by NHS England.


Written Question
Pain: Health Services
Wednesday 25th May 2022

Asked by: Graham Stuart (Conservative - Beverley and Holderness)

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 ensure adequate support is provided to people who live with severe chronic pain.

Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education

The majority of routine treatment and support for people with chronic pain is provided by local primary, community and secondary care services and commissioned via clinical commissioning groups. For patients with severe and complex pain, NHS England commissions specialised care. Upon referral to specialist centres, patients can access a range of health professionals, including consultant specialists, clinical nurse specialists, psychologists and physiotherapists and receive specialised treatment.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published guidance on chronic pain in April 2021, which includes recommendations on how chronic pain can be managed through pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches, such as exercise programmes, acupuncture and psychological therapy.

NHS England has established a task and finish group to produce guidance on the provision of services for people living with long-term pain conditions by September 2022. The guidance is aimed at integrated care systems, to provide core principles which can be used to inform the development of local models of care for complex pain.


Written Question
Pain: Medical Treatments
Wednesday 25th May 2022

Asked by: Graham Stuart (Conservative - Beverley and Holderness)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to ensure that people with chronic pain have access to non-pharmacological interventions as outlined in the NICE guideline on chronic pain.

Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published its guideline on chronic pain in April 2021 which includes recommendations on how chronic pain can be managed through pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches, such as exercise programmes, acupuncture, and psychological therapy.

While NICE’s guideline describes best practice and should be taken fully into account in the care and treatment of individual patients, it is not mandatory and does not override a medical practitioner’s clinical judgement.


Written Question
Mental Health Services: Per Capita Costs
Friday 11th September 2015

Asked by: Graham Stuart (Conservative - Beverley and Holderness)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what amount has been spent on mental health per head in each clinical commissioning group area in each of the last three years.

Answered by Alistair Burt

The attached document ‘Mental Health per head of weighted population CCG Spend PQ8604’ shows the per head weighted population spend on mental health by Clinical Commissioning Group for 2013/14 as reported via the Programme Budgeting collection. The 2014/15 data is not yet available.