Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) prevalence of and (b) effectiveness of NHS treatment for back pain.

No assessment has been made on the prevalence of National Health Service treatment for back pain. In the instance that back pain continues, or is caused by a pre-existing medical condition, treatment will be provided in line with the existing guidance. The vast majority of people are successfully managed by their general practitioner (GP) or via community services.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance ‘Low back pain and sciatica in over 16s: assessment and management’, published in 2016 set out evidence based best practice in the management of the condition. The guidance includes advice on pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches to care. The guidance can be viewed at the following link:

www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng59

As set out in the NHS Long Term Plan, musculoskeletal conditions are responsible for a substantial amount of poor health, and NHS England has committed to expand on work already undertaken to ensure patients will have direct access to musculoskeletal first contact practitioners (FCPs). 98% of sustainability and transformation partnerships have confirmed pilot sites for FCPs and 55% of pilots are already underway. This will expand the number of physiotherapists working in primary care networks, enabling people to see the right professional first time, without needing a GP referral.