Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to address geographic variations in (a) access and (b) efficacy of treatment for multiple sclerosis in (i) the South West and (ii) England.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services for their local population, including for multiple sclerosis (MS), across England, including in the South West. The Government expects ICBs to assess the demand for service provision in designing their local services.
At a national level, to reduce variation in access and treatment for patients with MS, there are initiatives to support better care for patients with neurological conditions such as MS across England. These include the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology, which aims to improve MS care by supporting the National Health Service to address variations in care and promoting best practice.
The Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit, published by NHS England’s RightCare Programme, supports healthcare systems in improving the care of individuals living with progressive neurological conditions, including MS. It aims to enhance local services and reduce hospital admissions by focusing on preventative care and optimising the delivery of services.
NHS England’s Neurology Transformation Programme (NTP) is a multi-year programme to develop a new model of integrated care for neurology services. The NTP has collaborated with clinicians and patient groups to create specific pathways for MS, aiming to improve the quality and coordination of care.
Last month, NHS England published its updated Specialised Neurology Service Specification for Adults, which includes MS. Service specifications define the standards of care expected from organisations funded by NHS England to provide specialised care.
The three shifts outlined in the recently published 10-Year Health Plan will support people with long-term conditions, including those with MS, to better manage their condition and access services closer to home. For example, it will empower them to access their medical history and allow them to book and manage their appointments and medication.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of service specifications for multiple sclerosis.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services for their local populations, including for multiple sclerosis (MS). The Government expects ICBs to assess the demand for service provision when designing their local services.
Nationally, there are initiatives to support better care for patients with neurological conditions, such as MS, across England. These include the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology, which is supporting National Health Service trusts throughout England, including in Devon, to improve services by identifying and eliminating variations in care, sharing best practice, and promoting greater efficiency through clinically led reviews of neurology services. This is leading to faster diagnoses, improved access to specialist care and therapies, better coordinated and joined-up services, and better outcomes for people with MS, while also reducing costs and waiting times.
NHS England is responsible for the overall framework of NHS service specifications, which are developed by specialised clinical reference groups in conjunction with specialist clinicians, commissioners, and expert patients. In August, NHS England published a new service specification covering the provision of specialised adult neurology services, including MS services. By setting out a model of care that reflects how services should work together across services and specialisms, the new specification establishes a clear framework to help ensure that care is clinically effective and responsive to patients’ needs. The specification is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/specialised-neurology-services-adults/
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve multiple sclerosis services in NHS hospitals in Devon.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services for their local populations, including for multiple sclerosis (MS). The Government expects ICBs to assess the demand for service provision when designing their local services.
Nationally, there are initiatives to support better care for patients with neurological conditions, such as MS, across England. These include the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology, which is supporting National Health Service trusts throughout England, including in Devon, to improve services by identifying and eliminating variations in care, sharing best practice, and promoting greater efficiency through clinically led reviews of neurology services. This is leading to faster diagnoses, improved access to specialist care and therapies, better coordinated and joined-up services, and better outcomes for people with MS, while also reducing costs and waiting times.
NHS England is responsible for the overall framework of NHS service specifications, which are developed by specialised clinical reference groups in conjunction with specialist clinicians, commissioners, and expert patients. In August, NHS England published a new service specification covering the provision of specialised adult neurology services, including MS services. By setting out a model of care that reflects how services should work together across services and specialisms, the new specification establishes a clear framework to help ensure that care is clinically effective and responsive to patients’ needs. The specification is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/specialised-neurology-services-adults/
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has commissioned research into multiple sclerosis services in the last year.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care delivers research via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR delivers research into multiple sclerosis across a range of areas, including services associated with the condition.
For example, the NIHR is currently supporting, through investments in infrastructure and workforce, research to examine the feasibility of identifying patients with psychological distress in multiple sclerosis services and provide a form of cognitive behavioural therapy, COMPASS, as a treatment intervention.
The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care including multiple sclerosis. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. Welcoming applications on multiple sclerosis to all NIHR programmes enables maximum flexibility both in terms of amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support people with multiple sclerosis.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services for their local population, including for multiple sclerosis (MS). The Government expects ICBs to assess the demand for service provision when designing their local services.
There are initiatives to support better care for patients with neurological conditions, such as MS, across England. These include the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology, which aims to improve MS care by supporting the National Health Service to address variations in care and promote best practice.
The Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit, published by NHS England’s RightCare Programme, supports healthcare systems in improving the care of individuals living with progressive neurological conditions, including MS. It aims to enhance local services and reduce hospital admissions by focusing on preventative care and optimising the delivery of services.
NHS England’s Neurology Transformation Programme (NTP) is a multi-year programme to develop a new model of integrated care for neurology services. The NTP has collaborated with clinicians and patient groups to create specific pathways for MS, aiming to improve the quality and coordination of care.
NHS England is also updating its Specialised Neurology service specification, which includes MS. Service specifications define the standards of care expected from organisations funded by NHS England to provide specialised care.
The three shifts outlined in the 10-Year Health Plan will support people with long-term conditions, including those with MS, to better manage their condition and access services closer to home. For example, it will empower them to access their medical history and allow them to book and manage their appointments and medication.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time is from initial referral to diagnosis for multiple sclerosis in each NHS region.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We do not hold data in the format requested. The latest data for referral to treatment waiting times in England, from April 2025, shows there were 223,699 pathways waiting for a neurology appointment, of which 53.8% were waiting for 18 weeks or less.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 improve the (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of multiple sclerosis.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
At the national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), including the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology and the RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit.
NHS England has also established a Neurology Transformation Programme, a multi-year, clinically led programme, which has developed a new model of integrated care to support integrated care boards (ICBs) to deliver the right service, at the right time for all neurology patients, including those with MS. This focuses on providing access equitably across the country, care as close to home as possible, and early intervention to prevent illness and deterioration in patients with long-term neurological conditions. A toolkit is being developed to support ICBs to understand and implement this new model, which will include components on delivering acute neurology services, improving health equity in neurology, and improving community neurology services. The Neurology Transformation Programme has developed an Adult Neurology ICB dashboard, which includes specific data on MS disease-modifying therapies. Additionally, NHS England has also developed guidance for systems on improving access to disease-modifying treatments for MS closer to home, which includes successful delivery models and good practice case studies.
We have set up a United Kingdom-wide Neuro Forum, facilitating formal, biannual meetings across the Department, NHS England, the devolved administrations and health services, and the Neurological Alliances of all four nations. The new forum brings key stakeholders together, to share learnings across the system and discuss challenges, best practice examples, and potential solutions for improving the care of people with neurological conditions, including MS.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has produced guidance on the management of MS in adults, which includes a number of recommendations on recognising the signs and symptoms of MS and the initial assessment and diagnosis of MS. NICE has recommended a number of new medicines for use in the treatment of relapsing-remitting MS that are now routinely available for use in the treatment of National Health Service patients. In December 2024, NICE recommended Ublituximab for treating relapsing-remitting MS, and more recently in April 2025, NICE recommended Cladribine for treating active relapsing-remitting forms of MS.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of proposed welfare reforms on people with (a) multiple sclerosis and (b) other fluctuating conditions.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As I set out in the House of Commons on 1 July 2025, the Government has listened to the concerns raised by Members from across the House about the proposed changes to Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
Clause 5 of the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill would have amended the legal framework underpinning PIP assessments, specifically by implementing a new requirement that claimants must score a minimum of four points in at least one daily living activity to be eligible for the daily living component of PIP.
In light of the concerns raised, I confirmed during the debate that clause 5 would be removed from the Bill in Committee.
(Hansard, 1 July, col 219)
Any changes to PIP eligibility will come after a comprehensive review of the benefit which I shall lead, co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, clinicians, experts, MPs and other stakeholders, so a wide range of views and voices are heard. This review aims to ensure that the PIP assessment is fair and fit for the future.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of changes to the (a) structure and (b) responsibilities of Integrated Care Boards on the (i) commissioning and (ii) delivery of multiple sclerosis services.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England has asked the integrated care boards (ICBs) to act primarily as strategic commissioners of health and care services and to reduce the duplication of responsibilities within their structure, with the expectation of achieving a reduction in their running cost allowance.
NHS England has shared a draft of The Model ICB Blueprint to help ICBs shape future plans. The blueprint confirms their critical role as strategic commissioners, with their core functions centred in population health management, including understanding local context, developing a long-term strategy, allocating resources, and evaluating impact.
The Government is focused on improving health, and as part of that has produced a 10-Year Health Plan in order to reform the health system. The Government will work with the new transformation team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to ensure that the expected hundreds of millions of pounds of savings made will be reinvested into frontline services and to unlock the benefit of working at scale to deliver better care for patients, including those with multiple sclerosis.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how his Department’s 10 Year Health Plan will support patients with multiple sclerosis in receiving adequate (a) care and (b) support.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The three shifts outlined in the 10-Year Health Plan will support people with long-term conditions, including those with multiple sclerosis, to better manage their condition and access services closer to home. For example, it will empower them to access their medical history and allow them to book and manage their appointments and medication.
In addition, by 2028/29, neighbourhood health teams will be organised around the needs of their patients. The plan will create joined-up working across hospitals and into community settings, with multi-disciplinary teams who can provide wrap-around support services.
By 2030, one million patients with long-term conditions will be offered personal health budgets, which will enable them to use National Health Service resources and to determine the care that best suits their needs.
Patients will be able to self-refer to services where clinically appropriate through My Specialist on the NHS App. This will accelerate their access to treatment and support. The NHS App will provide access to advice, guidance, self-care support, and appointment management. Patients will be able to manage their care in one place, giving them direct access to, and preference over the services they need.
As part of the NHS App, My Medicines will enable patients to manage their prescriptions, and My Health will enable patients to monitor their symptoms and bring all their data into one place.