Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients diagnosed with dropped foot received functional electrical stimulation treatment in each year since 2010; and what assessment he has made of the availability of treatment for dropped foot.

Information concerning the total number of people with dropped foot receiving functional electrical stimulation (FES) is not collected and no specific assessment has been made of the availability of this treatment for dropped foot. Data are only available for FES devices that are surgically implanted during an admitted episode of patient care. The majority of FES devices provided are those that are worn and attached with electrodes to the skin. These are usually provided in outpatient settings, where data are not collected.

The number of finished admission episodes (FAEs) with a primary diagnosis for dropped ankle and foot with a primary or secondary procedure of insertion/application of functional electrical stimulation in England from 2010-11 to 2015-16 can be found in the following table. It should be noted that FAEs do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period.

Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS Digital

In 2009 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published interventional procedure (IP) guidance to support clinicians and commissioners on the use of FES for drop foot of central neurological origin. The guidance advised that evidence on the safety and efficacy FES appeared adequate to support its use, subject to appropriate arrangements being in place for clinical governance, consent and audit. NICE IP guidance makes recommendations on whether procedures are safe and effective, but does not provide guidance on whether the procedure should be funded in the National Health Service.