Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his department is carrying out work alongside other Government departments to address health and employment impacts of migraines.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We recognise the substantial economic and National Health Service burden of migraines, and there are an estimated 16,500 emergency admissions per year for migraines that could be avoided, costing the NHS £11.5 million.

The Department for Health and Social Care and the Department for Work and Pensions are committed to supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, including migraines, and have a range of support available so individuals can stay in work and get back into work. Measures include Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies and WorkWell, as well as support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants.

At the national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with migraine such as the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for Neurology, the RightCare Headache and Migraine Toolkit, and the Neurology Transformation Programme. The GIRFT Programme is also working to standardise care, promote better use of preventive treatments, and reduce reliance on accident and emergency for migraine crises by empowering general practices to manage headache disorders effectively.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his department has plans to strengthen national policy recognition of migraine as a serious neurological condition.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government recognises that migraine is a serious and often debilitating neurological condition, with a wide range of symptoms that go far beyond a headache. Migraine attacks can be a whole-body experience that can make it very difficult to function normally.

At the national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with migraine such as the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for Neurology and the RightCare Headache and Migraine Toolkit. NHS England’s Neurology Transformation Programme also developed a new model of integrated care for neurology services, to support integrated care boards to deliver the right service, at the right time for all neurology patients, including for those with migraine.

The GIRFT programme for Neurology published a National Speciality Report, which makes several recommendations in relation to improving recognition and diagnosis of migraine. Additionally, the RightCare Headache and Migraine Toolkit set out key priorities for improving care for patients with migraine, which includes correct identification and diagnosis of headache disorders.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline, Headaches in over 12s: diagnosis and management, sets out best practice for healthcare professionals in the care, treatment, and support of people who suffer from headaches, including migraine. It aims to improve the recognition and management of headaches and migraine.

In August 2025, NHS England updated its service specification for specialised adult neurology services. It outlines a number of minimum service requirements for key specialties, including complex headache services.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether migraine has been considered as part of cross government efforts to improve workforce participation among people with long term conditions.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Good work is good for health, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work when they can including people who suffer from migraine. In our Pathways to Work Green Paper we set out our Pathways to Work offer, backed by £1 billion a year of new funding by the end of the decade.

Disabled people are a diverse group so access to the right work and health support for every individual is key. We therefore have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems. Existing measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers (DEAs) in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants. Our Supported Employment programme, Connect to Work, is supporting disabled people, people with health conditions and people with complex barriers to employment across England and Wales.

DEAs in the Jobcentres supporting the constituency hold in-depth Work Ability conversations that focus on strengths, suitable work options, workplace adjustments and confidence building.

Our Pathways to Work support offer will ensure a coherent and navigable offer of support, building on and bringing together initiatives such as Connect to Work, WorkWell and local Trailblazers. We are building towards a guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for all disabled people and people with health conditions on out of work benefits. We anticipate that the Pathways to Work offer, once fully rolled out, will include a support conversation to identify support needs and signpost to services, one-to-one caseworker support, periodic engagement and an offer of specialist long-term work, health and skills support.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of migraines as a driver of health related economic activity.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on the 30 March 2026 to Question UIN 122660.

Found: David Baines (Labour; St Helens North) Lee Barron (Labour; Corby and East Northamptonshire) Johanna Baxter

Found: ) David Baines (Labour; St Helens North) Lee Barron (Labour; Corby and East Northamptonshire) Johanna Baxter

Found: West: Impact of food inflation on the cost of living Jim Shannon: World COPD DAY Alex Sobel, Johanna Baxter

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Debbie Abrahams (Chair); Rushanara Ali; Lee Barron; Johanna Baxter

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Debbie Abrahams (Chair); Lee Barron; Johanna Baxter; Mr Peter Bedford

Found: Members present: Debbie Abrahams (Chair); Helen Hayes (Chair); Rushanara Ali; David Baines; Johanna Baxter