Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve (a) diagnosis rates and (b) access to treatment for lymphoedema in (i) Oxfordshire and (ii) England.

The commissioning of services for the treatment and care of lymphoedema patients is a local matter. People with lymphoedema can usually be managed through routine access to primary or secondary care services.

There is a range of guidance to support clinicians in the diagnosis, treatment and support of patients with lymphoedema and to support local commissioning: this includes an international consensus document and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance.

Lymphoedema is also identified as a key area of clinical knowledge in the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Applied Knowledge Test content guide; a summative assessment of the knowledge base that underpins general practice in the United Kingdom which is a key part of GPs’ qualifying exams.

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust advises that it has invested in lymphoedema services over the past two years to enhance the patient experience and to provide a wider range of treatments to support patients, and that the Trust supports the wider Thames Valley regional network in educating and sharing experience.