It is for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to consider Scrambler Therapy or any other novel treatments for complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). Decisions on whether a topic should be prioritised for the development of NICE guidance are taken by the NICE prioritisation board, chaired by NICE’s Chief Medical Officer, in line with its published prioritisation framework.

The prioritisation board considered Scrambler therapy for CPRS in January 2026 and concluded that it should not be prioritised for guidance development as it does not have regulatory approval and the evidence base is very limited. NICE’s prioritisation board will reconsider this decision if a technology receives regulatory approval and new evidence emerges.

National Institute for Health and Care Research funded research on CRPS aims to improve how the condition is managed, understand its biological and genetic causes, and test possible treatments. Current research is working to make care more consistent and identify people who may be at risk at an early stage. This work aims to make this rare, long-term pain condition easier to diagnose and treat in both specialist and general healthcare settings.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 8 September in response to Question 24917 on the action the Government is taking to improve endometriosis diagnosis, treatment, and the development of a pelvic pain pathway.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) updated its guideline on the diagnosis and management of endometriosis in November 2024, recommending a range of options for individualised pharmacological, non-pharmacological, and surgical care.

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng73

While data is available on hospital activity and waiting times for gynaecology services, NHS England does not collect data that links the date of a patient's first presentation with symptoms suggestive of endometriosis to the date of confirmed diagnosis.

The Department funds research on endometriosis via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Data on the NIHR’s investment in women’s health research, including endometriosis, is available at the following link:

https://nihr.opendatasoft.com/explore/assets/womens-health-curated-portfolio/

Further to the answers provided on 3 July in response to Questions 12453 and 12458, integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services that meet the needs of their populations and for enabling implementation of NICE guidance, including NICE guideline NG73 on endometriosis. NHS England supports implementation through its oversight of ICB planning and performance, informed by available access, waiting-time, quality and outcomes data, while recognising that local pathways should be designed around population need.

In response to Question 27420, NHS England does not hold this information.

The Renewed Women’s Health Strategy commits to speeding up diagnosis and access to treatment for conditions including endometriosis. In line with NICE guidance, services should have arrangements for prompt diagnosis and referral, with particular consideration given to referral to paediatric and adolescent gynaecology services for those aged 17 years old and under.

NHS England is developing a system-wide pelvic pain pathway, aligned with NICE guidance, to provide a consistent framework for managing pelvic pain and endometriosis across primary care, neighbourhood services, and specialist secondary care. This will support earlier recognition and diagnosis, clearer referral routes, and care at the most appropriate level according to clinical need, including for adolescents with suspected endometriosis.

NHS England is working with regions and systems to support adoption of these pathways and a neighbourhood approach to care. As this work develops, it will provide a clearer basis for ICBs to demonstrate delivery against NICE-aligned pathway expectations, identify unwarranted variation, and address gaps in access, timeliness, and outcomes through established assurance arrangements.

In relation to Question 27422, no assessment has been made.

A women’s health data dashboard is intended to be made publicly available within the next year providing neighbourhood-level comparable data about service performance, access, and women’s outcomes and experiences. Key lines of enquiry enabled by the dashboard will include understanding healthcare demand, access, and identifying outcome progress and variation.

The requested information is not held centrally.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided to the Hon Member for Stockton West on 15 July 2026 in response to Question 16094.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 June 2026 to Question 9408 to the hon. Member for Mid Dorset and North Poole (Vikki Slade).

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2026-06-12/9408.

To support all healthcare professionals in the assessment and management of chronic pain, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published guidance, which can be found at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng193

The guidance includes recommendations for healthcare professionals on how to carry out a person-centred assessment when an individual presents with chronic pain, how to develop a care and support plan for a patient with chronic pain, and how to manage flare-ups of chronic pain. The guidance also includes recommendations on both pharmacological and non-pharmacological management options for chronic pain.

Building on the NICE guidelines, the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has produced an e-learning course on chronic pain in adults, which is available at the following link:

https://elearning.rcgp.org.uk/course/info.php?id=588

The e-learning course aims to increase understanding amongst general practitioners (GPs) about chronic pain and to educate GPs and other healthcare professionals about the physiology of pain. It gives practical advice about how the NICE guidelines can be applied to patient care. The training curriculum for postgraduate trainee doctors is set by the RCGP, and has to meet the standards set by the General Medical Council.

Doctors are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge remains up-to-date and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. This activity should include taking account of new research and developments in guidance, such as that produced by NICE, to ensure that they can continue to provide high quality care to all patients.

Our Renewed Women’s Health Strategy, published in April, explicitly recognises that women’s pain is too often dismissed, normalised, or ignored, and treats this as a systemic failure, not isolated poor practice. It puts women’s lived experience, including pain and whether they felt listened to, at the heart of how National Health Service quality is defined, measured, and improved.

For the first time, women’s feedback on pain management will directly influence NHS accountability, and patient reported experience measures will be embedded in core women’s health pathways.

The strategy strengthens escalation and feedback routes, building on Jess’s Rule and Martha’s Rule, so women can challenge when symptoms persist or they feel they are not being listened to.

To support healthcare professionals in the assessment and management of chronic pain, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published guidance on this topic, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng193

The guidance includes recommendations for healthcare professionals on how to carry out a person-centred assessment when an individual presents with chronic pain, how to develop a care and support plan for a patient with chronic pain, and how to manage flare-ups of chronic pain. The guidance also includes recommendations on both pharmacological and non-pharmacological management options for chronic pain.

Building on from the NICE guidelines, the Royal College of General Practitioners has produced an e-learning course on chronic pain in adults, which is available at the following link:

https://elearning.rcgp.org.uk/course/info.php?id=588

The e-learning course aims to increase understanding amongst general practitioners (GPs) about chronic pain and to educate GPs and other healthcare professionals about the physiology of pain. It gives practical advice about how the NICE guidelines can be applied to patient care.

The Renewed Women’s Health Strategy explicitly recognises that women’s pain is too often dismissed, normalised, or ignored, and treats this as a systemic failure, not isolated poor practice. It puts women’s lived experience, including pain and whether they felt listened to, at the heart of how National Health Service quality is defined, measured, and improved. For the first time, women’s feedback on pain management will directly influence NHS accountability, and patient reported experience measures will be embedded in core women’s health pathways.

To support healthcare professionals in the assessment and management of chronic pain, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published guidance on this topic, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng193

The guidance includes recommendations for healthcare professionals on how to carry out a person-centred assessment when an individual presents with chronic pain, how to develop a care and support plan for a patient with chronic pain, and how to manage flare-ups of chronic pain. The guidance also includes recommendations on both pharmacological and non-pharmacological management options for chronic pain.

Building on the NICE guidelines, the Royal College of General Practitioners has produced an e-learning course on chronic pain in adults, which is available at the following link:

https://elearning.rcgp.org.uk/course/info.php?id=588

The e-learning course aims to increase understanding amongst general practitioners (GPs) about chronic pain and to educate GPs and other healthcare professionals about the physiology of pain. It gives practical advice about how the NICE guidelines can be applied to patient care.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 June 2026 to Question 9408 to the hon. Member for Mid Dorset and North Poole (Vikki Slade).

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2026-06-12/9408

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 June 2026 to Question 9408 to the hon. Member for Mid Dorset and North Poole (Vikki Slade).

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2026-06-12/9408

The Ministry of Defence has assessed that both the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) and the War Pension Scheme (WPS) already provide compensation for pain and suffering as part of a holistic assessment of service-attributable injury or illness.

Under both schemes, chronic pain is not normally treated as a standalone condition. Instead, it is generally considered an expected consequence of a primary injury and is reflected within the overall award.

Where there is a distinct and separately diagnosable chronic pain condition, such as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, this may be considered on its own merits on a case-by-case basis

The Department keeps the operation of both schemes under review. The Independent Medical Expert Group (IMEG) is currently considering evidence and stakeholder concerns on how chronic pain is reflected within existing arrangements. No final conclusions have yet been reached.

The Ministry of Defence has assessed that both the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) and the War Pension Scheme (WPS) already provide compensation for pain and suffering as part of a holistic assessment of service-attributable injury or illness.

Under both schemes, chronic pain is not normally treated as a standalone condition. Instead, it is generally considered an expected consequence of a primary injury and is reflected within the overall award.

Where there is a distinct and separately diagnosable chronic pain condition, such as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, this may be considered on its own merits on a case-by-case basis

The Department keeps the operation of both schemes under review. The Independent Medical Expert Group (IMEG) is currently considering evidence and stakeholder concerns on how chronic pain is reflected within existing arrangements. No final conclusions have yet been reached.