Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of achalasia.

The Government is committed to improving the diagnosis and treatment of achalasia. Work is underway to support an increase in the use of the Advice and Refer/Single Point of Access model, which can in turn improve waiting times for all gastro patients, including those with achalasia or suspected achalasia.

More broadly, the Neighbourhood Health Framework has now been published, and will enable a more joined-up approach that delivers more preventative, local, personalised, and digitally enabled care for everyone, including for people living with achalasia. Central to the plans are neighbourhood health centres, which will bring more care closer to where people live. This is supported by the NHS App, which will become a health companion that makes it easier for patients to access the National Health Service. It will give patients a seamless experience across their health journey.