Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the implementation of recommendations made by the Getting it Right First Time programme on reducing variations in neurology services.

The Getting it Right First Time (GIRFT) national speciality report on neurology was published in September 2021. The report has made recommendations focussing on improving access to care for patients with neurological disorders and bringing treatments closer to home. These recommendations will reduce variations in neurology services across England.

The GIRFT programme is now embedded within NHS England and NHS Improvement programmes to improve quality and productivity, so that best practice is adopted throughout the National Health Service. NHS England and NHS Improvement are encouraging clinicians and trusts to consider the GIRFT recommendations in their work.