Thank you for writing to me about neurological conditions.
I understand that there are over 600 types of neurological conditions, ranging from sudden onset conditions, through intermittent and unpredictable conditions and progressive conditions to stable conditions. The NHS spends more than £4.4 billion on people with neurological conditions annually.
Neurological disorders can have a serious impact on people’s quality of life, cause disability and affect family members and carers. It is estimated that there are around 16.5 million neurological cases in England, with the UK prevalence of specific conditions including: 526,000 people with epilepsy; 91,000 people with multiple sclerosis; 4,000 people with motor neurone disease; 121,000 people with Parkinson’s disease; and 60,000 with neuromuscular disorders.
Since NHS England assumed its responsibilities as national commissioner and leader for the NHS in 2013, there have been a number of important initiatives aimed at improving neurological care, including the development of a national specialised service for neurological conditions to ensure that people with complex problems can access high-quality neurological care. The Government has established a national children’s epilepsy service that offers the chance of symptom improvement and even cure for children whose epilepsy cannot be well managed by routine treatment.
With more people living longer with neurological conditions, improving the care and support available is an important issue for the NHS. NHS England and NHS Improvement is the organisation responsible for securing and supporting high quality outcomes for people with neurological conditions, commissioning specialised neurological services nationally and supporting local commissioners with guidance and intelligence to deliver high quality neurological conditions for their resident populations.
I will seek to promote the interests of the 1 in 6 people suffering with a neurological condition, in particular those in my constituency, while seeking to raise awareness and understanding of neurological conditions in line with the Neuro Pledge.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.