Access to health and care services for neurological conditions

Sharing your experiences for a debate in Parliament

Thursday 9 June 2022
House of Lords

On Thursday 9 June 2022, Lord Dubs led a Question for Short Debate in the House of Lords: "to ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking:

"to ensure that people with neurological conditions receive timely access to health and care services, and
"to ensure that the sector’s workforce is properly staffed to deal with demand."

"I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who took the time to share such moving and helpful testimony with me for this debate.

"Most of the respondents to my survey provided their insights as people who are living with a neurological condition, particularly functional neurological disorder, ME, long covid, MS and several others. I also heard from many of you who are supporting a loved one with a condition.

"I was struck by how many of you had not had any access at all to neurological services in the last 12 months, despite being given a diagnosis. While a few of you who had been seen by a neurologist had positive experiences, there were many who reported not being taken seriously or having your symptoms dismissed, often after having waited for a very long time for your appointments.

"I also asked what changes you would make to improve health services, and received a number of interesting suggestions centred on:

Increasing research, funding and awareness among healthcare professionals
Better support for patient welfare
More join-up and continuity between support services
Quicker referrals, processes and testing

"Thank you again for contributing these ideas and experiences. Many of the points you raised were addressed in the debate – both by myself and other Members who spoke. You can use the links below to watch the debate or read the transcript"
Lord Dubs

The Government's response

Health Minister Lord Kamall responded to the debate on behalf of the Government.

Watch or read his full speech for details on a range of topics including:

The Delivery Plan for Tackling the COVID-19 Backlog of Elective Care published in February 2022
Recruitment of a national clinical director for neurology whose remit will include tackling variation in services across the country
The NHS England Neuroscience Transformation Programme
Work taking place between NHS England and the National Neurosciences Advisory Group, which includes changes to the neurology service model and the service specification for neurology
Workforce capacity within health and social care
The Government’s open consultation for a 10-year plan for England on mental health and wellbeing – call for evidence open until 7 July 2022
The NHS’ RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions toolkit, which includes a section on Multiple Sclerosis
The use of medicinal cannabis for neurological conditions House of Commons Library briefing: Medical use of cannabis.

How it works

What is a Question for Short Debate?

Questions for Short Debate are an opportunity for members of the House of Lords to discuss important current issues and draw the government’s attention to concerns. A government minister or spokesperson responds at the end to the issues raised in the debate

How your contributions are shared

In these exercises, members of the public who have signed relevant petitions are invited to share their experiences and ideas.

These are passed on to the Member leading the debate, who may refer to them directly in their speeches.

Find other petitions on the Petitions website, or see more examples of public contributions being used in debates further down the page.

What happens next?

If you shared your email in the survey, we’ll send you an update after the debate with links to watch it, read the transcript, and information about the Government's response.