Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the clinical guidance on the (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of functional neurologic disorders.

There are no plans to make a specific assessment. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent organisation responsible for developing evidence-based guidance for the health and care system. NICE has produced clinical guidance to support clinicians in the diagnosis of functional neurological disorder (FND). The ‘Suspected neurological conditions: recognition and referral’ guideline, published in 2019, addresses the initial assessment of symptoms and signs which might indicate a neurological condition, including FND. The guideline is available at the following link:

www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng127

NICE is also developing a guideline on rehabilitation for chronic neurological disorders, which will include FND. NICE expects to publish the final guideline in December 2023.