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 help raise awareness among doctors so that Mast Cell Activation Syndrome is considered as an alternative differential diagnosis.

The outpatient management of Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) is within local allergy clinics, which fall within the responsibility of clinical commissioning groups. Doctors are expected to ensure their clinical knowledge remains up-to-date and to identify their ongoing learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. This activity should include taking account of new research and developments in guidance in relevant specialty areas, such as that produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence or the Royal Colleges, to ensure that they can continue to provide high quality care to all patients.

With the aim of improving the lives of all those affected by a rare disease, of which MCAS is one, the Government is committed to implementing the UK Strategy for Rare Diseases which covers five themes: empowering those affected by rare diseases; identifying and preventing rare diseases; diagnosis and early intervention; coordination of care and the role of research. Today the UK Rare Diseases Policy Board, which oversees the implementation of the UK Strategy for Rare Diseases, published its second Progress Report describing the progress achieved over the past two years.