Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS trusts in England provide specialist clinics for Ehlers–Danlos syndrome.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) have a statutory responsibility to commission services which meet the needs of their local population, including for those with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS). It is the responsibility of ICBs, working with clinicians, service users, and patient groups, to develop services and care pathways that meet patients’ needs.

More widely, through the 10-Year Health Plan, we are introducing Neighbourhood Health Centres, and deploying multidisciplinary teams to provide holistic support to people with EDS. Patients will benefit from enhanced NHS App functionality, including the My Medicines and My Health sections, and will be able to self-refer to specialist services where appropriate.

Additionally, the 10-Year Health Plan’s commitments on artificial intelligence will give clinicians advanced tools for faster diagnosis, predictive analytics, and personalised care planning. For people with long-term conditions like EDS, this means earlier interventions, better monitoring of complex needs, and more time for clinicians to focus on patient-centred care rather than administrative tasks. The plan also commits to 95% of people with complex needs having a personalised care plan by 2027.