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 that healthcare professionals receive appropriate training on (a) identifying and (b) managing postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome effectively.

The Department does not hold data on the number of people diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (PoTS) in England in 2020 and 2025. There are no relevant codes in the Hospital Episode Statistics database that identify PoTS.

PoTS UK, however, estimates that 0.2% of the United Kingdom population has PoTS, which would equate to approximately 130,000 people.

In our recently published 10-Year Health Plan, we announced that we will introduce a new Single Patient Record across the National Health Service. The Single Patient Record will bring together a patient’s medical records all into one place. It will mean that no matter where a patient is accessing care, in the community or in a hospital, the care provider will have a comprehensive understanding of their medical history, including for many patients with PoTS.

To improve awareness of PoTS amongst healthcare professionals, and specifically general practitioners (GPs), the Royal College of General Practitioners provides training on PoTS as part of its Syncope toolkit, which is available at the following link:

https://elearning.rcgp.org.uk/course/view.php?id=500

The Syncope toolkit includes an e-learning module, a podcast, and a webinar, and provides GPs with information about the diagnosis and management of PoTS. The webinar gives GPs the opportunity to hear the lived experience perspective of a patient representative from PoTS UK.

The National Institute for Care Excellence has also published a clinical knowledge summary on the clinical management of blackouts and syncope, that provides advice for clinicians in the United Kingdom on best practice in the assessment and diagnosis of PoTS. This was last updated in November 2023, and is available at the following link:

https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/blackouts-syncope/diagnosis/assessment/

It is the responsibility of local integrated care boards to work with clinicians, service users, and patient groups to develop services and care pathways that are convenient and meet the needs of patients with PoTS.