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To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of moving spinal cord injury services from nationally coordinated commissioning to the responsibility for ICBs.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of moving spinal cord injury services from nationally coordinated commissioning to the responsibility for ICBs.
Ahead of the planned merger of NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care, it has been necessary to consider where commissioning responsibility for the portfolio of specialised services currently held by NHS England should sit in the future. Spinal cord injury services were identified as a service that may benefit from commissioning at a regional, multi-integrated care board level, to reflect their close links with wider rehabilitation and community services, and the potential to support more integrated care pathways. Regardless of the planned change in commissioning responsibility, spinal cord injury services will continue to require national level coordination between the centres, and continue to be defined as specialised services, subject to national service specifications, commissioning policies, and national standards.
That this House supports Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Day on 15 May 2026; recognises the long-term impact on over 105,000 people living with spinal cord injury (SCI) in the UK; acknowledges that SCI is a lifelong condition requiring coordinated, anticipatory, and adaptive systems of care and support; notes the inequitable and insufficient provision of rehabilitation and ongoing support for people with SCI; further acknowledges with concern the findings of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Spinal Cord Injury report, From Fragmented to Coordinated: Building a National SCI Strategy; welcomes action on the APPG’s recommendations, including the development of a national patient registry and the embedding of national standards and accountability; and calls on the Government to develop a national strategy or framework to ensure a more coordinated, equitable, and compassionate system of care for all those affected by spinal cord injury.
That this House supports Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Day on 15 May 2026; recognises the long-term impact on over 105,000 people living with spinal cord injury (SCI) in the UK; acknowledges that SCI is a lifelong condition requiring coordinated, anticipatory, and adaptive systems of care and support; notes the inequitable...
That this House recognises the work of the pupil-led initiative The Green Wave at Abbey School, led by Edith and Brett, to support the work of Horatio's Garden, which creates and maintains accessible gardens in NHS spinal injury centres; notes that these gardens provide therapeutic outdoor spaces for patients with spinal cord injuries, their families, and NHS staff; further notes that Brett’s involvement has been shaped by his uncle, David Hayes, a former carpenter and hot tub builder from Torquay, who became quadriplegic following a serious accident, and that the nearest specialist spinal injuries unit serving his community is located at Salisbury District Hospital, approximately 150 miles away; further recognises the vital role that such gardens play in improving wellbeing, supporting rehabilitation, and enabling patients and visitors to spend meaningful time together in a positive environment; commends Edith, Brett and their fellow pupils for their commitment to fundraising through a 150-mile walk, swim and cycle challenge, as well as the sale of green ribbons, to support the continued development of these gardens; and calls on hon. Members to support initiatives that enhance patient experience and wellbeing within NHS settings, including the continued expansion and maintenance of therapeutic spaces such as those provided by Horatio’s Garden.
That this House recognises the work of the pupil-led initiative The Green Wave at Abbey School, led by Edith and Brett, to support the work of Horatio's Garden, which creates and maintains accessible gardens in NHS spinal injury centres; notes that these gardens provide therapeutic outdoor spaces for patients with...
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that delays to spinal operations are mitigated against and minimised.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that delays to spinal operations are mitigated against and minimised.
The Government recognises the significant impact that delays to spinal surgery can have on patients and is taking action to reduce waiting times and minimise cancellations.
As set out in the Elective Reform Plan, we are increasing elective capacity and improving productivity across the National Health Service, including through the expansion of dedicated surgical hubs. These hubs use ringfenced staff and facilities to protect planned operations from urgent and emergency pressures.
NHS England also provides targeted national and regional support to trusts with the greatest waiting list pressures, including through the clinically led Getting It Right First Time programme and their Further Faster programme for spinal services.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of delayed and cancelled spinal operations on patients' lives and b) what support is available to patients awaiting spinal operations for months or years.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of delayed and cancelled spinal operations on patients' lives and b) what support is available to patients awaiting spinal operations for months or years.
The Government recognises the significant impact that delays to spinal surgery can have on patients and is taking action to reduce waiting times and minimise cancellations.
As set out in the Elective Reform Plan, we are increasing elective capacity and improving productivity across the National Health Service, including through the expansion of dedicated surgical hubs. These hubs use ringfenced staff and facilities to protect planned operations from urgent and emergency pressures.
NHS England also provides targeted national and regional support to trusts with the greatest waiting list pressures, including through the clinically led Getting It Right First Time programme and their Further Faster programme for spinal services.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department are taking to help prevent delays to spinal operations including where infrastructure such as operating room seals are broken leading to operations being cancelled and delayed.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department are taking to help prevent delays to spinal operations including where infrastructure such as operating room seals are broken leading to operations being cancelled and delayed.
The Government recognises the significant impact that delays to spinal surgery can have on patients and is taking action to reduce waiting times and minimise cancellations.
As set out in the Elective Reform Plan, we are increasing elective capacity and improving productivity across the National Health Service, including through the expansion of dedicated surgical hubs. These hubs use ringfenced staff and facilities to protect planned operations from urgent and emergency pressures.
NHS England also provides targeted national and regional support to trusts with the greatest waiting list pressures, including through the clinically led Getting It Right First Time programme and their Further Faster programme for spinal services.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will commit to making the 2022 SCI Rehabilitation Standards mandatory.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will commit to making the 2022 SCI Rehabilitation Standards mandatory.
Specialised spinal cord injury services are currently commissioned by NHS England Specialised Commissioning, in line with the service specification published by the Clinical Reference Group. This translates to 385 spinal cord injury beds commissioned from eight providers in England. NHS England provides annual funding of approximately £80 million to spinal cord injury centres to deliver inpatient care and outreach to secondary care prior to admission and to community services following discharges to support transition.
NHS England recognises that services have experienced increasing referrals alongside complexity of presentations. NHS England plans to undertake work during 2026/27 to assess the adequacy of treatment pathways within specialised spinal injury services and will consider if any further updates are required to the national service specification based on the findings.
All spinal cord injury providers are required to submit outcome data to the Specialised Services Quality Dashboard. These data enable the National Health Service to monitor of the quality of care, including clinical outcomes and equitability of access. The data is linked to the national spinal cord injury (SCI) registry, which provides audit data.
The dashboard is a key tool in monitoring the quality of services, enabling comparison between service providers, and supporting improvements over time in the outcomes of services commissioned by NHS England.
Additionally, in March 2025, NHS England published the Spinal Services Clinical Network Specification, which establishes expectations for spinal clinical networks to standardise pathways and reduce variation, with the aim of improving access to care for patients.
Spinal Cord Injury services in England are commissioned against the published national service specification, which sets out the mandated standards that all providers are required to meet for all patients, including in relation to rehabilitation. The service specification mandates that spinal cord injury centres must provide restorative rehabilitation and re-enablement, and support patients’ reintegration into the community. When a patient is admitted to a spinal cord injury centre, there must be a focus on rehabilitation from the outset, with treatment by a co-ordinated multidisciplinary team. The specification is available at the following link:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of service specifications and commissioning plans for spinal cord injury.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of service specifications and commissioning plans for spinal cord injury.
Specialised spinal cord injury services are currently commissioned by NHS England Specialised Commissioning, in line with the service specification published by the Clinical Reference Group. This translates to 385 spinal cord injury beds commissioned from eight providers in England. NHS England provides annual funding of approximately £80 million to spinal cord injury centres to deliver inpatient care and outreach to secondary care prior to admission and to community services following discharges to support transition.
NHS England recognises that services have experienced increasing referrals alongside complexity of presentations. NHS England plans to undertake work during 2026/27 to assess the adequacy of treatment pathways within specialised spinal injury services and will consider if any further updates are required to the national service specification based on the findings.
All spinal cord injury providers are required to submit outcome data to the Specialised Services Quality Dashboard. These data enable the National Health Service to monitor of the quality of care, including clinical outcomes and equitability of access. The data is linked to the national spinal cord injury (SCI) registry, which provides audit data.
The dashboard is a key tool in monitoring the quality of services, enabling comparison between service providers, and supporting improvements over time in the outcomes of services commissioned by NHS England.
Additionally, in March 2025, NHS England published the Spinal Services Clinical Network Specification, which establishes expectations for spinal clinical networks to standardise pathways and reduce variation, with the aim of improving access to care for patients.
Spinal Cord Injury services in England are commissioned against the published national service specification, which sets out the mandated standards that all providers are required to meet for all patients, including in relation to rehabilitation. The service specification mandates that spinal cord injury centres must provide restorative rehabilitation and re-enablement, and support patients’ reintegration into the community. When a patient is admitted to a spinal cord injury centre, there must be a focus on rehabilitation from the outset, with treatment by a co-ordinated multidisciplinary team. The specification is available at the following link:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of and the capacity in the specialist spinal cord injury service.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of and the capacity in the specialist spinal cord injury service.
Specialised spinal cord injury services are currently commissioned by NHS England Specialised Commissioning, in line with the service specification published by the Clinical Reference Group. This translates to 385 spinal cord injury beds commissioned from eight providers in England. NHS England provides annual funding of approximately £80 million to spinal cord injury centres to deliver inpatient care and outreach to secondary care prior to admission and to community services following discharges to support transition.
NHS England recognises that services have experienced increasing referrals alongside complexity of presentations. NHS England plans to undertake work during 2026/27 to assess the adequacy of treatment pathways within specialised spinal injury services and will consider if any further updates are required to the national service specification based on the findings.
All spinal cord injury providers are required to submit outcome data to the Specialised Services Quality Dashboard. These data enable the National Health Service to monitor of the quality of care, including clinical outcomes and equitability of access. The data is linked to the national spinal cord injury (SCI) registry, which provides audit data.
The dashboard is a key tool in monitoring the quality of services, enabling comparison between service providers, and supporting improvements over time in the outcomes of services commissioned by NHS England.
Additionally, in March 2025, NHS England published the Spinal Services Clinical Network Specification, which establishes expectations for spinal clinical networks to standardise pathways and reduce variation, with the aim of improving access to care for patients.
Spinal Cord Injury services in England are commissioned against the published national service specification, which sets out the mandated standards that all providers are required to meet for all patients, including in relation to rehabilitation. The service specification mandates that spinal cord injury centres must provide restorative rehabilitation and re-enablement, and support patients’ reintegration into the community. When a patient is admitted to a spinal cord injury centre, there must be a focus on rehabilitation from the outset, with treatment by a co-ordinated multidisciplinary team. The specification is available at the following link:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to consult specialist healthcare professionals and people with lived experience of spinal cord injury in determining changes to commissioning structures for specialist spinal cord injury services.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to consult specialist healthcare professionals and people with lived experience of spinal cord injury in determining changes to commissioning structures for specialist spinal cord injury services.
Ahead of its planned abolition, NHS England has been considering whether any specialised services currently retained for national commissioning by NHS England should transfer to integrated care boards (ICBs) or become the commissioning responsibility of the Department. This process, which has included engagement with NHS England’s regional commissioning teams and relevant national clinical leads, has identified 11 services, including spinal cord injury services, which would benefit from a more integrated approach to commissioning achieved through the transfer of commissioning responsibility to ICBs. A final decision on which specialised services will transfer and become the commissioning responsibility of ICBs will need approval by Parliament for the necessary changes in primary legislation and, where required, secondary legislation.
Changes to the commissioning architecture will not themselves result in any service change. Where commissioning plans would result in service change, commissioners have a statutory duty to involve and consult the public, which would provide an opportunity to hear from people with lived experience. We recognise that where responsibility for commissioning specialised services is transferred to ICBs, it will be important to maintain expert commissioning knowledge and capability. That is why we are taking steps to establish an office for Pan-ICB Commissioning within each of the seven National Health Service regions to support all ICBs across a region in commissioning specialised services, including the planning and commissioning of services ‘at scale’ where this is appropriate.
The Government fully recognises the importance of maintaining a national framework of standards and clinical commissioning policies to ensure equitable access to specialised services for all patients. This will apply to all specialised services regardless of whether they become the commissioning responsibility of ICBs or the Department in the future.
We are committing to addressing geographic variation in the access to and the quality of rehabilitation services for people with spinal cord injury. In October 2025, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published new guidance on rehabilitation for chronic neurological disorders, which includes rehabilitation for spinal cord injury. NICE guidelines are evidence-based, informed by clinical expertise, and represent best practice. The Government expects commissioners and service providers to take NICE guidance fully into account when designing services that meet the needs of their local population and work towards implementation over time.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to consult specialist healthcare professionals and people with lived experience of spinal cord injury in determining changes to commissioning structures for specialist spinal cord injury services to address geographic variations in (a) access and...
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to consult specialist healthcare professionals and people with lived experience of spinal cord injury in determining changes to commissioning structures for specialist spinal cord injury services to address geographic variations in (a) access and...
Ahead of its planned abolition, NHS England has been considering whether any specialised services currently retained for national commissioning by NHS England should transfer to integrated care boards (ICBs) or become the commissioning responsibility of the Department. This process, which has included engagement with NHS England’s regional commissioning teams and relevant national clinical leads, has identified 11 services, including spinal cord injury services, which would benefit from a more integrated approach to commissioning achieved through the transfer of commissioning responsibility to ICBs. A final decision on which specialised services will transfer and become the commissioning responsibility of ICBs will need approval by Parliament for the necessary changes in primary legislation and, where required, secondary legislation.
Changes to the commissioning architecture will not themselves result in any service change. Where commissioning plans would result in service change, commissioners have a statutory duty to involve and consult the public, which would provide an opportunity to hear from people with lived experience. We recognise that where responsibility for commissioning specialised services is transferred to ICBs, it will be important to maintain expert commissioning knowledge and capability. That is why we are taking steps to establish an office for Pan-ICB Commissioning within each of the seven National Health Service regions to support all ICBs across a region in commissioning specialised services, including the planning and commissioning of services ‘at scale’ where this is appropriate.
The Government fully recognises the importance of maintaining a national framework of standards and clinical commissioning policies to ensure equitable access to specialised services for all patients. This will apply to all specialised services regardless of whether they become the commissioning responsibility of ICBs or the Department in the future.
We are committing to addressing geographic variation in the access to and the quality of rehabilitation services for people with spinal cord injury. In October 2025, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published new guidance on rehabilitation for chronic neurological disorders, which includes rehabilitation for spinal cord injury. NICE guidelines are evidence-based, informed by clinical expertise, and represent best practice. The Government expects commissioners and service providers to take NICE guidance fully into account when designing services that meet the needs of their local population and work towards implementation over time.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether future NHS planning guidance will require ICBs to provide specialist rehabilitation and care for patients with spinal cord injury.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether future NHS planning guidance will require ICBs to provide specialist rehabilitation and care for patients with spinal cord injury.
Spinal cord injury services in England are commissioned against the national service specification, which is published by NHS England, and is available at the following link:
The specification sets out the mandated standards all commissioned providers are required to meet for patients. The specification provides detailed information on the pathway of care for spinal cord injury patients, including coordination with interdependent services.
All providers are required to submit outcome data to the specialised services quality dashboard, with data available at the following link:
This data enables the monitoring of quality of care, including clinical outcomes, equitability of access and structure, and process measures. The data is linked to the national spinal cord injury registry, which provides audit data.
The specific content of future National Health Service planning guidance will be determined and published in due course, but progress has been made on improving spinal cord injury services following the 2016 review through, for example, the development of the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for spinal services, which is driving service improvements and better care for patients with spinal cord injuries. GIRFT has worked with NHS trusts to showcase examples of best practice which other services can then learn from.
More recently, in October 2025, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published new guidance on rehabilitation for chronic neurological disorders, which includes rehabilitation for spinal cord injury.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how his Department will ensure that low-volume, high-cost services such as spinal cord injury are not deprioritised by individual ICBs facing competing local financial pressures.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how his Department will ensure that low-volume, high-cost services such as spinal cord injury are not deprioritised by individual ICBs facing competing local financial pressures.
Plans to delegate suitable specialised services were first set out in the Roadmap for Integrating Specialised Services within Integrated Care Systems and have been developed in close collaboration with NHS England’s regional teams, integrated care boards (ICBs), specialised services provider clinicians, and patient groups. The Roadmap for Integrating Specialised Services within Integrated Care Systems is available at the following link:
They represent the outcome of a thorough assessment of ICB readiness, and a comprehensive analysis of services to determine their suitability and readiness for more integrated commissioning.
The latest NHS England commissioning update, published on 2 March 2026, sets out the role that seven offices for pan-ICB commissioning (OPICs) will play in supporting ICBs across each National Health Service region to efficiently and effectively commission these services, including commissioning at scale, where appropriate, to improve patient outcomes. The NHS England commissioning update is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/direct-commissioning-update/
OPICs will ensure that all ICBs across a region have equal access to the critical mass of expert commissioning knowledge and the capability necessary for the effective and efficient commissioning of these important and complex areas of service provision like spinal cord injury. They will become centres of commissioning excellence, playing a vital role in facilitating multi-ICB collaboration and decision making, ensuring strong patient and public involvement in the design and delivery of services, and building strong relationships with wider health and care system partners.
I represent Salisbury hospital, which has one of the eight specialist spinal units in the country. I am a member of the all-party parliamentary group on spinal cord injury, which is chaired by the hon. Member for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East (Andy McDonald). We are very concerned about the Government’s...
I represent Salisbury hospital, which has one of the eight specialist spinal units in the country. I am a member of the all-party parliamentary group on spinal cord injury, which is chaired by the hon. Member for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East (Andy McDonald). We are very concerned about the Government’s...
The right hon. Gentleman will know that there are concerns across the House about the way that spinal injuries have been treated in the past. I am pleased that he paid tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East (Andy McDonald), who has an exemplary record...
The right hon. Gentleman will know that there are concerns across the House about the way that spinal injuries have been treated in the past. I am pleased that he paid tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East (Andy McDonald), who has an exemplary record...
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to address regional disparities in accessing spinal cord injury services.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to address regional disparities in accessing spinal cord injury services.
People with spinal cord injuries in North Shropshire receive specialist care through the Midland Centre for Spinal Injuries (MCSI) at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, one of 11 nationally designated spinal injury centres providing lifelong multidisciplinary support in the United Kingdom. MCSI provides multidisciplinary rehabilitation and lifelong follow up care for spinal cord injury patients.
Nationally, spinal cord injury services form part of prescribed specialised services, with NHS England maintaining national service standards, specifications, and clinical policies. From 2025, elements of specialised commissioning were delegated to integrated care boards to support more integrated pathways, while overall accountability remains with NHS England.
In March 2025, NHS England published the Spinal Services Clinical Network Specification, which establishes expectations for spinal clinical networks to standardise pathways and reduce variation, with the aim of improving access to care for patients.
The Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for spinal services is also driving service improvements and better care for patients with spinal cord injuries. GIRFT has worked with National Health Service trusts to showcase examples of best practice which other services can then learn from, thereby aiming to reduce regional variation in the quality of care patients with spinal cord injuries receive.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential clinical impact of (a) current waiting times and (b) levels of coordination in spinal cord injury care.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential clinical impact of (a) current waiting times and (b) levels of coordination in spinal cord injury care.
People with spinal cord injuries in North Shropshire receive specialist care through the Midland Centre for Spinal Injuries (MCSI) at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, one of 11 nationally designated spinal injury centres providing lifelong multidisciplinary support in the United Kingdom. MCSI provides multidisciplinary rehabilitation and lifelong follow up care for spinal cord injury patients.
Nationally, spinal cord injury services form part of prescribed specialised services, with NHS England maintaining national service standards, specifications, and clinical policies. From 2025, elements of specialised commissioning were delegated to integrated care boards to support more integrated pathways, while overall accountability remains with NHS England.
In March 2025, NHS England published the Spinal Services Clinical Network Specification, which establishes expectations for spinal clinical networks to standardise pathways and reduce variation, with the aim of improving access to care for patients.
The Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for spinal services is also driving service improvements and better care for patients with spinal cord injuries. GIRFT has worked with National Health Service trusts to showcase examples of best practice which other services can then learn from, thereby aiming to reduce regional variation in the quality of care patients with spinal cord injuries receive.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of support available to people with spinal cord injury in a) North Shropshire and b) England.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of support available to people with spinal cord injury in a) North Shropshire and b) England.
People with spinal cord injuries in North Shropshire receive specialist care through the Midland Centre for Spinal Injuries (MCSI) at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, one of 11 nationally designated spinal injury centres providing lifelong multidisciplinary support in the United Kingdom. MCSI provides multidisciplinary rehabilitation and lifelong follow up care for spinal cord injury patients.
Nationally, spinal cord injury services form part of prescribed specialised services, with NHS England maintaining national service standards, specifications, and clinical policies. From 2025, elements of specialised commissioning were delegated to integrated care boards to support more integrated pathways, while overall accountability remains with NHS England.
In March 2025, NHS England published the Spinal Services Clinical Network Specification, which establishes expectations for spinal clinical networks to standardise pathways and reduce variation, with the aim of improving access to care for patients.
The Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for spinal services is also driving service improvements and better care for patients with spinal cord injuries. GIRFT has worked with National Health Service trusts to showcase examples of best practice which other services can then learn from, thereby aiming to reduce regional variation in the quality of care patients with spinal cord injuries receive.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance he has issued to ICBs on commissioning pathways on access to spinal cord injury services for patients with a spinal cord injury.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance he has issued to ICBs on commissioning pathways on access to spinal cord injury services for patients with a spinal cord injury.
While no formal assessment has been made of the adequacy of the availability of diagnostic and treatment pathways for spinal cord injury across integrated care boards (ICBs), NHS England Specialised Commissioning has a Clinical Reference Group (CRG) for rehabilitation and complex disability and spinal cord injury services. Specialist services for spinal cord injuries are commissioned in line with the service specification published by the CRG.
In March 2025, NHS England published the Spinal Services Clinical Network Specification, which establishes expectations for spinal clinical networks to standardise pathways and reduce variation, with the aim of improving access to care for patients.
The Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for spinal services is also driving service improvements and better care for patients with spinal cord injuries. GIRFT has worked with National Health Service trusts to showcase examples of best practice which other services can then learn from.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) also has guidance on the assessment and early management of spinal cord injuries, which is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng41
Additionally, last year, NICE published new guidance on rehabilitation for chronic neurological disorders, which includes rehabilitation for spinal cord injury. While NICE guidelines are not mandatory, the Government expects ICB commissioners to take them fully into account in designing services that meet the needs of their local population and to work towards their implementation over time.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made progress on improving spinal cord injury services following the 2016 service review.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made progress on improving spinal cord injury services following the 2016 service review.
While no formal assessment has been made of the potential merits of commissioning local spinal cord injury services, specialist services for spinal cord injury are currently commissioned by NHS England Specialised Commissioning, in line with the service specification published by the Clinical Reference Group.
Progress has been made on improving spinal cord injury services following the 2016 review, through, for example, the development of the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for spinal services, which is driving service improvements and better care for patients with spinal cord injuries. GIRFT has worked with National Health Service trusts to showcase examples of best practice which other services can then learn from.
Additionally, in March 2025, NHS England published the Spinal Services Clinical Network Specification, which establishes expectations for spinal clinical networks to standardise pathways and reduce variation, with the aim of improving access to care for patients.
More recently, in October 2025, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published new guidance on rehabilitation for chronic neurological disorders, which includes rehabilitation for spinal cord injury.
Our 10-Year Health Plan also sets out a vision for a health and care system that delivers more personalised, integrated, and proactive care for people with long-term and complex conditions, including spinal cord injury. More tests and scans are delivered in the community, better, joined-up working between services, and greater use of technology will all support people in the management of their spinal cord injuries.