The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR) are made under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and apply to all sectors and workplaces in Great Britain.

The 2013 regulations clarified and simplified the list of reportable ill-health conditions (occupational diseases), as a result of a recommendation made by Professor Löfstedt in his report “Reclaiming health and safety for all: An independent review of health and safety (legislation,” published in 2011.

Under the regulations, HSE is required to review RIDDOR every five years. A review has recently been completed and its recommendations published. One of these recommendations was to review the list of reportable occupational diseases. HSE is currently considering how best to take this forward.

In 2015, the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) considered the Adams Bend test and concluded it has a high false positive rate and a low positive predictive value for identifying cases that are likely to progress and require treatment, therefore the use of this screening test would lead to unnecessary and potentially harmful exposure to X-rays. The UK NSC reconsidered the evidence in 2021 and does not currently recommend the introduction of a screening programme for scoliosis using the Adams Bend test.

The commissioning of care for scoliosis is coordinated by integrated care boards, which are best placed to plan the provision of services. NHS England directly commissions some specialised services.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published guidance in 2022 on vertebral body tethering for idiopathic scoliosis in children and young people. Within this guidance, NICE recommends that this procedure should only be carried out in specialist centres by spinal surgeons with specific training in anterior spinal surgery.

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) is an independent scientific advisory committee that advises health ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries about all aspects of screening policy and supports implementation.

The UK NSC has reviewed screening school aged children for scoliosis in 2021 and recommended against screening. This is because there is not enough evidence to show if detecting the condition earlier through screening results in better health outcomes than waiting until symptoms develop. Details of the UK National Screening Committee’s review are available at the following link:

https://view-health-screening-recommendations.service.gov.uk/scoliosis/

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) have advised that they are currently in the process of reviewing guidance on the MAGEC system in the treatment of people with scoliosis. A robust investigation is currently ongoing to determine whether the benefits of these devices continue to outweigh the risks. In the interim, alternative treatments are available for children with scoliosis, such as casts, back braces and other surgical procedures. The MHRA will consider the use of MAGEC rods on a case-by-case basis where clinicians deem it to be essential.

Any significant change in status to the availability of the MAGEC system in the United Kingdom, will be updated in guidance when appropriate.

The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including scoliosis. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. The NIHR is not currently funding or supporting research into the use of vertebral body tethering for adolescents with advancing scoliosis.

Robotic spinal surgery for scoliosis is not currently commissioned by NHS England. NHS England has advised that this will be reviewed if there is an application presented by a clinical lead, with published evidence demonstrating its effectiveness. For a procedure or treatment to become more widely available for use in the National Health Service, high equality evidence on its efficacy, safety and cost-effectiveness would be needed.

The data on the number of people who have been living with a diagnosis of scoliosis in each of the last five years is not held.

The Department has made no estimate of the total number of patients with scoliosis that have received National Health Service treatment in each of the last five years or the average time that was waited.

Scoliosis is the abnormal curvature of the spine to the sides. The condition is not considered to be a disease and patients do not always require treatment. However, it is important that those patients whose curvature is more pronounced are able to access the right treatment. For children this might mean for being fitted with back brace or cast to correct the spine. Whilst some adults may be suitable for treatment with a brace, they are more commonly managed with pain relief, exercise and lifestyle advice. Both children and adults may also be considered for spinal surgery, subject to appropriate assessment.

NHS England commissions specialised complex spinal surgery nationally. The service specification clearly defines what NHS England expects to be in place for providers to offer evidence-based, safe and effective services. It supports equity of access to a nationally consistent, high quality service for patients needing complex spinal surgery wherever they live. The specification can be found the following link:

www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/d14-comp-spinal-surg.pdf

In addition, in June 2014 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published guidance on the Magnetic Expansion Control System, a new intervention for children with the scoliosis., The guidance stated that this new treatment ‘should be considered for children aged 2 and over with scoliosis, who need surgery to correct their curved spine’. Full guidance can be found at that following link:

http://guidance.nice.org.uk/MTG18/Guidance/pdf/English

The Ministers of the Department have received no representations from specialist bodies or charities on treatment options for scoliosis on the NHS and have made no specific assessment of the efficacy of the process for booking scoliosis clinic appointments.

The Department has made no estimate of the total number of patients with scoliosis that have received National Health Service treatment in each of the last five years or the average time that was waited.

Scoliosis is the abnormal curvature of the spine to the sides. The condition is not considered to be a disease and patients do not always require treatment. However, it is important that those patients whose curvature is more pronounced are able to access the right treatment. For children this might mean for being fitted with back brace or cast to correct the spine. Whilst some adults may be suitable for treatment with a brace, they are more commonly managed with pain relief, exercise and lifestyle advice. Both children and adults may also be considered for spinal surgery, subject to appropriate assessment.

NHS England commissions specialised complex spinal surgery nationally. The service specification clearly defines what NHS England expects to be in place for providers to offer evidence-based, safe and effective services. It supports equity of access to a nationally consistent, high quality service for patients needing complex spinal surgery wherever they live. The specification can be found the following link:

www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/d14-comp-spinal-surg.pdf

In addition, in June 2014 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published guidance on the Magnetic Expansion Control System, a new intervention for children with the scoliosis., The guidance stated that this new treatment ‘should be considered for children aged 2 and over with scoliosis, who need surgery to correct their curved spine’. Full guidance can be found at that following link:

http://guidance.nice.org.uk/MTG18/Guidance/pdf/English

The Ministers of the Department have received no representations from specialist bodies or charities on treatment options for scoliosis on the NHS and have made no specific assessment of the efficacy of the process for booking scoliosis clinic appointments.

The Department has made no estimate of the total number of patients with scoliosis that have received National Health Service treatment in each of the last five years or the average time that was waited.

Scoliosis is the abnormal curvature of the spine to the sides. The condition is not considered to be a disease and patients do not always require treatment. However, it is important that those patients whose curvature is more pronounced are able to access the right treatment. For children this might mean for being fitted with back brace or cast to correct the spine. Whilst some adults may be suitable for treatment with a brace, they are more commonly managed with pain relief, exercise and lifestyle advice. Both children and adults may also be considered for spinal surgery, subject to appropriate assessment.

NHS England commissions specialised complex spinal surgery nationally. The service specification clearly defines what NHS England expects to be in place for providers to offer evidence-based, safe and effective services. It supports equity of access to a nationally consistent, high quality service for patients needing complex spinal surgery wherever they live. The specification can be found the following link:

www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/d14-comp-spinal-surg.pdf

In addition, in June 2014 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published guidance on the Magnetic Expansion Control System, a new intervention for children with the scoliosis., The guidance stated that this new treatment ‘should be considered for children aged 2 and over with scoliosis, who need surgery to correct their curved spine’. Full guidance can be found at that following link:

http://guidance.nice.org.uk/MTG18/Guidance/pdf/English

The Ministers of the Department have received no representations from specialist bodies or charities on treatment options for scoliosis on the NHS and have made no specific assessment of the efficacy of the process for booking scoliosis clinic appointments.

The Department has made no estimate of the total number of patients with scoliosis that have received National Health Service treatment in each of the last five years or the average time that was waited.

Scoliosis is the abnormal curvature of the spine to the sides. The condition is not considered to be a disease and patients do not always require treatment. However, it is important that those patients whose curvature is more pronounced are able to access the right treatment. For children this might mean for being fitted with back brace or cast to correct the spine. Whilst some adults may be suitable for treatment with a brace, they are more commonly managed with pain relief, exercise and lifestyle advice. Both children and adults may also be considered for spinal surgery, subject to appropriate assessment.

NHS England commissions specialised complex spinal surgery nationally. The service specification clearly defines what NHS England expects to be in place for providers to offer evidence-based, safe and effective services. It supports equity of access to a nationally consistent, high quality service for patients needing complex spinal surgery wherever they live. The specification can be found the following link:

www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/d14-comp-spinal-surg.pdf

In addition, in June 2014 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published guidance on the Magnetic Expansion Control System, a new intervention for children with the scoliosis., The guidance stated that this new treatment ‘should be considered for children aged 2 and over with scoliosis, who need surgery to correct their curved spine’. Full guidance can be found at that following link:

http://guidance.nice.org.uk/MTG18/Guidance/pdf/English

The Ministers of the Department have received no representations from specialist bodies or charities on treatment options for scoliosis on the NHS and have made no specific assessment of the efficacy of the process for booking scoliosis clinic appointments.

The Department has made no estimate of the total number of patients with scoliosis that have received National Health Service treatment in each of the last five years or the average time that was waited.

Scoliosis is the abnormal curvature of the spine to the sides. The condition is not considered to be a disease and patients do not always require treatment. However, it is important that those patients whose curvature is more pronounced are able to access the right treatment. For children this might mean for being fitted with back brace or cast to correct the spine. Whilst some adults may be suitable for treatment with a brace, they are more commonly managed with pain relief, exercise and lifestyle advice. Both children and adults may also be considered for spinal surgery, subject to appropriate assessment.

NHS England commissions specialised complex spinal surgery nationally. The service specification clearly defines what NHS England expects to be in place for providers to offer evidence-based, safe and effective services. It supports equity of access to a nationally consistent, high quality service for patients needing complex spinal surgery wherever they live. The specification can be found the following link:

www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/d14-comp-spinal-surg.pdf

In addition, in June 2014 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published guidance on the Magnetic Expansion Control System, a new intervention for children with the scoliosis., The guidance stated that this new treatment ‘should be considered for children aged 2 and over with scoliosis, who need surgery to correct their curved spine’. Full guidance can be found at that following link:

http://guidance.nice.org.uk/MTG18/Guidance/pdf/English

The Ministers of the Department have received no representations from specialist bodies or charities on treatment options for scoliosis on the NHS and have made no specific assessment of the efficacy of the process for booking scoliosis clinic appointments.