Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to emotional and psychological support for people with muscle-wasting conditions.

NHS England commissions specialised neurological services at a national level, including for those with muscle-wasting conditions. The neurosciences service specification sets out what specialised providers must have in place to offer evidence based safe and effective care.

As part of the service, patients should have access to a multidisciplinary team to assess, diagnose and provide support. The team will include a range of specialist staff including neuromuscular consultants, neuromuscular physiotherapists, psychologists, specialist nurses, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists and other health professionals. Neuromuscular clinics should provide access to psychological and emotional support for children and adults and develop expertise with a practitioner experienced in the specific challenges for neuromuscular patients. The specification can be found at the following link:

www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/d04-neurosci-spec-neuro.pdf