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 the uptake of (a) existing and (b) new treatments for people with inherited cardiac conditions.

In 2017, NHS England published a national service specification for inherited cardiac conditions (ICC) which defines the standards of care expected from organisations commissioned by NHS England. The specification sets the national minimum standards for the diagnosis, treatment, and outcome of patients with ICC.

NHS England is reviewing this service specification, working with a broad range of stakeholders, including National Health Service clinical experts, the Association of Inherited Cardiac Conditions, Cardiomyopathy UK, Heart Valve Voice, and the British Heart Foundation. This review considers the referral of ICC patients from primary care into ICC specialised services and considers how families of ICC patients are supported through the screening and identification process. The service specification review has also considered referrals directly from primary into secondary care, which would improve the timeliness of patient diagnosis.

Department ministers regularly have discussions with their colleagues and counterparts in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland on matters of cross border interest.