The provision of care and management for people with facial palsy, also known as Bell’s palsy, is the responsibility of general practices, under local integrated care boards.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has produced a clinical knowledge summary on Bell’s palsy, last revised in February 2023, which provides primary care practitioners with a readily accessible summary of the current evidence base and practical advice on best practice for Bell’s palsy. This clinical knowledge summary is available on the NICE’s website, at the following link:

https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/bells-palsy/

Our 10-Year Health Plan will consider what actions are needed to improve patient access and reduce waiting times for patients, including those with facial or Bell’s palsy, by setting out a bold agenda to deliver on the big shifts needed, including the shift from the hospital to the community.

The incubator for Artificial Intelligence focuses primarily on early stage piloting of AI based productivity improvements. We do not currently have any work in the pipeline that involves facial recognition, but we recognise the need for government services to be fully inclusive.

All Government Departments are required by our Service Standard to provide support via alternative channels for all their online services that are available to citizens. Our Roadmap for Digital and Data focuses on enabling the confident and responsible use of AI to improve efficiency and services including accessibility requirements.

Care for people with facial palsy may be delivered by a number of specialties, depending on its cause. Facial palsy will often present in primary care, and if there are additional concerning features, the patient may be referred directly to the hospital as an emergency, where they may be looked after by medical or stroke teams. Rehabilitation professionals may be needed to support recovery.

Facial palsy without additional features is often managed in general practice. If time and treatment does not result in a satisfactory outcome, then the patient should be referred to a hospital, to be reviewed by a neurologist and other members of the team as needed, for example speech and language therapists, psychologists, or neurosurgeons.

Disability within the Equality Act 2010 is not defined through each specific condition, but rather in general terms. The general definition of disability, for the purposes of the act, is a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

A person with facial paralysis or facial palsy may experience difficulties with communication, which may have a substantial and long-term effect, in accordance with the act. The Government is committed to supporting everyone’s mental health and wellbeing, and ensuring that the right support is in place, including for those with health conditions such as Bell’s palsy.

We have made it clear to local commissioners that we expect NHS Talking Therapies to be integrated into physical healthcare pathways. Our NHS Long Term Plan commits to an additional £2.3 billion a year for the expansion of mental health services by 2024, so that an additional two million people, including those with Bell’s palsy, can access National Health Service-funded mental health support. The Department received Facial Palsy UK’s survey on pathways of care for people with facial palsy on 27 February 2024. We will reply as soon as possible.

Disability within the Equality Act 2010 is not defined through each specific condition, but rather in general terms. The general definition of disability, for the purposes of the act, is a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

A person with facial paralysis or facial palsy may experience difficulties with communication, which may have a substantial and long-term effect, in accordance with the act. The Government is committed to supporting everyone’s mental health and wellbeing, and ensuring that the right support is in place, including for those with health conditions such as Bell’s palsy.

We have made it clear to local commissioners that we expect NHS Talking Therapies to be integrated into physical healthcare pathways. Our NHS Long Term Plan commits to an additional £2.3 billion a year for the expansion of mental health services by 2024, so that an additional two million people, including those with Bell’s palsy, can access National Health Service-funded mental health support. The Department received Facial Palsy UK’s survey on pathways of care for people with facial palsy on 27 February 2024. We will reply as soon as possible.

Disability within the Equality Act 2010 is not defined through each specific condition, but rather in general terms. The general definition of disability, for the purposes of the act, is a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

A person with facial paralysis or facial palsy may experience difficulties with communication, which may have a substantial and long-term effect, in accordance with the act. The Government is committed to supporting everyone’s mental health and wellbeing, and ensuring that the right support is in place, including for those with health conditions such as Bell’s palsy.

We have made it clear to local commissioners that we expect NHS Talking Therapies to be integrated into physical healthcare pathways. Our NHS Long Term Plan commits to an additional £2.3 billion a year for the expansion of mental health services by 2024, so that an additional two million people, including those with Bell’s palsy, can access National Health Service-funded mental health support. The Department received Facial Palsy UK’s survey on pathways of care for people with facial palsy on 27 February 2024. We will reply as soon as possible.

It is for the local clinical commissioning groups to commission high-quality services that meet the needs of their local population. Decisions about treatment, including for palsy, should always be based on patients’ clinical needs and informed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guidelines.

NICE clinical guidelines make many recommendations spanning all stages of care from diagnosis to treatment of a condition. Health professionals and organisations are expected to take the guidance fully into account when deciding what treatments to give people.

The NICE guidelines on the management of Bell’s Palsy can be found at the following link:

https://cks.nice.org.uk/bells-palsy#!scenario

This information is not collected. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Clinical Knowledge Summary (CKS) for Bell’s palsy estimates that the annual incidence of the condition in the United Kingdom is one in 5,000 people and that it most commonly occurs in people aged between 15 and 60 years. The CKS, which is an online resource, can be viewed at the following link:

http://cks.nice.org.uk/bells-palsy#!topicsummary

The following table provides a count of finished admission episodes (FAEs) where there was a primary diagnosis of bronchitis, categorised by Strategic Health Authority (SHA) of treatment for the years 2008-09 to 2012-13.

It should be noted that information provided in the following tables does not indicate the number of patients as a patient may have had more than one episode of care within the time period.

The tables indicate the SHA area within which the organisation providing treatment was located.

The following table provides a count of FAEs where there was a primary diagnosis of Crohn's disease, categorised by SHA of treatment for the years 2008-09 to 2012-13:

The following table provides a count of FAEs where there was a primary diagnosis of Bell's palsy, categorised by SHA of treatment, from 2008-09 to 2012-13: