Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
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 availability of diagnostic and treatment pathways for Spinal Cord Injury across Integrated Care Boards.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
While no formal assessment has been made of the adequacy of the availability of diagnostic and treatment pathways for spinal cord injury across integrated care boards (ICBs), NHS England Specialised Commissioning has a Clinical Reference Group (CRG) for rehabilitation and complex disability and spinal cord injury services. Specialist services for spinal cord injuries are commissioned in line with the service specification published by the CRG.
In March 2025, NHS England published the Spinal Services Clinical Network Specification, which establishes expectations for spinal clinical networks to standardise pathways and reduce variation, with the aim of improving access to care for patients.
The Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for spinal services is also driving service improvements and better care for patients with spinal cord injuries. GIRFT has worked with National Health Service trusts to showcase examples of best practice which other services can then learn from.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) also has guidance on the assessment and early management of spinal cord injuries, which is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng41
Additionally, last year, NICE published new guidance on rehabilitation for chronic neurological disorders, which includes rehabilitation for spinal cord injury. While NICE guidelines are not mandatory, the Government expects ICB commissioners to take them fully into account in designing services that meet the needs of their local population and to work towards their implementation over time.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made progress on improving spinal cord injury services following the 2016 service review.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
While no formal assessment has been made of the potential merits of commissioning local spinal cord injury services, specialist services for spinal cord injury are currently commissioned by NHS England Specialised Commissioning, in line with the service specification published by the Clinical Reference Group.
Progress has been made on improving spinal cord injury services following the 2016 review, through, for example, the development of the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for spinal services, which is driving service improvements and better care for patients with spinal cord injuries. GIRFT has worked with National Health Service trusts to showcase examples of best practice which other services can then learn from.
Additionally, in March 2025, NHS England published the Spinal Services Clinical Network Specification, which establishes expectations for spinal clinical networks to standardise pathways and reduce variation, with the aim of improving access to care for patients.
More recently, in October 2025, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published new guidance on rehabilitation for chronic neurological disorders, which includes rehabilitation for spinal cord injury.
Our 10-Year Health Plan also sets out a vision for a health and care system that delivers more personalised, integrated, and proactive care for people with long-term and complex conditions, including spinal cord injury. More tests and scans are delivered in the community, better, joined-up working between services, and greater use of technology will all support people in the management of their spinal cord injuries.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
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 potential merits of commissioning specialist local spinal cord injury services.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
While no formal assessment has been made of the potential merits of commissioning local spinal cord injury services, specialist services for spinal cord injury are currently commissioned by NHS England Specialised Commissioning, in line with the service specification published by the Clinical Reference Group.
Progress has been made on improving spinal cord injury services following the 2016 review, through, for example, the development of the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for spinal services, which is driving service improvements and better care for patients with spinal cord injuries. GIRFT has worked with National Health Service trusts to showcase examples of best practice which other services can then learn from.
Additionally, in March 2025, NHS England published the Spinal Services Clinical Network Specification, which establishes expectations for spinal clinical networks to standardise pathways and reduce variation, with the aim of improving access to care for patients.
More recently, in October 2025, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published new guidance on rehabilitation for chronic neurological disorders, which includes rehabilitation for spinal cord injury.
Our 10-Year Health Plan also sets out a vision for a health and care system that delivers more personalised, integrated, and proactive care for people with long-term and complex conditions, including spinal cord injury. More tests and scans are delivered in the community, better, joined-up working between services, and greater use of technology will all support people in the management of their spinal cord injuries.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to ensure that providers of spinal cord injury services are (a) guided by national care pathways, (b) subject to national care standards and (c) report on national outcome measures.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
While no formal assessment has been made of the adequacy of the availability of diagnostic and treatment pathways for spinal cord injury across integrated care boards (ICBs), NHS England Specialised Commissioning has a Clinical Reference Group (CRG) for rehabilitation and complex disability and spinal cord injury services. Specialist services for spinal cord injuries are commissioned in line with the service specification published by the CRG.
In March 2025, NHS England published the Spinal Services Clinical Network Specification, which establishes expectations for spinal clinical networks to standardise pathways and reduce variation, with the aim of improving access to care for patients.
The Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for spinal services is also driving service improvements and better care for patients with spinal cord injuries. GIRFT has worked with National Health Service trusts to showcase examples of best practice which other services can then learn from.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) also has guidance on the assessment and early management of spinal cord injuries, which is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng41
Additionally, last year, NICE published new guidance on rehabilitation for chronic neurological disorders, which includes rehabilitation for spinal cord injury. While NICE guidelines are not mandatory, the Government expects ICB commissioners to take them fully into account in designing services that meet the needs of their local population and to work towards their implementation over time.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance he has issued to ICBs on commissioning pathways on access to spinal cord injury services for patients with a spinal cord injury.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
While no formal assessment has been made of the adequacy of the availability of diagnostic and treatment pathways for spinal cord injury across integrated care boards (ICBs), NHS England Specialised Commissioning has a Clinical Reference Group (CRG) for rehabilitation and complex disability and spinal cord injury services. Specialist services for spinal cord injuries are commissioned in line with the service specification published by the CRG.
In March 2025, NHS England published the Spinal Services Clinical Network Specification, which establishes expectations for spinal clinical networks to standardise pathways and reduce variation, with the aim of improving access to care for patients.
The Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for spinal services is also driving service improvements and better care for patients with spinal cord injuries. GIRFT has worked with National Health Service trusts to showcase examples of best practice which other services can then learn from.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) also has guidance on the assessment and early management of spinal cord injuries, which is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng41
Additionally, last year, NICE published new guidance on rehabilitation for chronic neurological disorders, which includes rehabilitation for spinal cord injury. While NICE guidelines are not mandatory, the Government expects ICB commissioners to take them fully into account in designing services that meet the needs of their local population and to work towards their implementation over time.