Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of allocating further funding for research into improving treatments for PANS and PANDAS.

We recognise that more research is necessary to understand the multiple factors leading to pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS) and pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections (PANDAS), and to understand how best to raise awareness among healthcare professionals on how to diagnose these conditions and support affected children and their families.

The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), which welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including conditions such as PANS and PANDAS.

In October 2024, a project led by NIHR BioResource announced a partnership with PANS PANDA UK to delve further into immune conditions and mental health, and how to raise awareness of these neuropsychiatric conditions.