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.

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.