Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the forthcoming National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidance on head injury, what steps they intend to take to tackle the difficulties many patients are facing in getting the correct diagnosis for adult Growth Hormone Deficiency following a head injury.

The 2021 UK Rare Diseases Framework sets out four priorities to improve the lives of people living with rare diseases, such as Growth Hormone Deficiency. To implement the Framework, we published England’s first Rare Diseases Action Plan in February 2022. The Plan includes actions to improve the timely diagnosis of rare conditions and raise awareness of rare conditions among healthcare professionals. Progress against these actions will be reported in England’s second Rare Diseases Action Plan, due to be published in early 2023.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence are currently updating its guideline on the assessment and early management of head injury. The final guideline is expected to be published in March 2023.

The curricula for postgraduate specialty training such as endocrinology are set by the relevant Royal College and has to meet the standards set by the General Medical Council and be formally approved by them.