Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing NICE guidance for (a) Tourette's syndrome and (b) other tic disorders.

Tourette syndrome was discussed in 2022 by a cross-agency topic prioritisation group, made up of senior executives from the Department, NHS England, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). The group did not consider it to be a national priority at that time and therefore decided not to prioritise development of a NICE guideline on Tourette syndrome.

NICE is currently finalising a new approach to topic prioritisation, which will come into effect in May 2024, operationalised through an integrated prioritisation board led by NICE’s Chief Medical Officer. NICE plans to consult on its new prioritisation process and a common framework for topic selection at the beginning of March. Details will be made available on the NICE website in due course. NICE is also developing medical technologies guidance on digitally-enabled therapy for tic disorders in children and young people. This is in the early stages of development. NICE expects to consult on the draft guidance between 5 September and 3 October 2024, with publication of final guidance in December 2024.