Petition Fund better Functional Neurological Disorder care, treatment and support

The Government recognises that FND is a complex condition, involving a range of neurological symptoms without a clear cause, which can impact on an individual’s life significantly. FND can be difficult to diagnose, as well as to treat, as its wide variety of symptoms can make it hard to find effective interventions.

The Government recognises that there is a need to do more to improve access to services for people living with conditions such as FND. This is why improving care for people with long-term conditions is a key priority for this Government and the NHS, and we are committed to ensuring they receive high-quality care and support and access to the latest treatments. The recently published 10 Year Health Plan for England will ensure a better health service for everyone, regardless of condition or service area.

At a national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with neurological conditions, including FND, such as the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology and the Neurology Transformation Programme, which aim to improve care for people by reducing variation and delivering care more equitably across England.

In addition to this, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has developed guidance on rehabilitation for chronic neurological disorders. The guidance, which was published on 15 October 2025, emphasises a holistic approach and focuses on individual needs and promoting independence and well-being. Specifically, it recommends a multidisciplinary team approach, a single point of contact for coordination of care, and access to various therapies like physical therapy, occupational therapy and psychological support. More information on the guidance can be found at this link: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/NG252

NHS England has recently published a new service specification covering the provision of specialised neurology services for adults, which routinely diagnose and treat individuals aged 16 and older with suspected or confirmed neurological conditions. The new specification includes FND as a major area of adult specialised neurology activity that must be provided at each specialised neurology centre, including assessment, formulation, and treatment planning for patients who have not sufficiently benefited from first line management within core neurology services. A copy of the specification is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/specialised-neurology-services-adults/

The service specification emphasises a multidisciplinary approach by outlining a networked model of care where secondary and tertiary neurology services, alongside core services and community teams, work collaboratively to provide seamless, needs-based support for people with neurological conditions like FND. This includes collaboration with local authority services, community-based professionals, and other hospital services to deliver rehabilitation, reablement and disability management across all condition groups.

Service specifications are important in clearly defining the standards of care expected from organisations funded by NHS England to provide specialised care. Integrated care boards must follow the national standards for specialised services set by NHS England, and there are a number of mechanisms in place to assure compliance with these service specifications.

We have also set up a UK-wide Neuro Forum, facilitating formal, biannual meetings across the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England, devolved governments and health services, and Neurological Alliances of all four UK nations. The new forum, which has met twice to date, brings key stakeholders together to share learnings across the system, discuss important neurology services transformation and workforce challenges, as well as best practice examples and potential solutions that will add both to the existing programmes of work and wider health plans.

The standard of training for GPs and other health care professionals is the responsibility of the independent statutory regulatory bodies, which set the outcome standards expected at undergraduate level and approve courses, and higher education institutions, which write and teach the curricula content that enables their students to meet the regulators’ outcome standards. Once qualified, healthcare professionals 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 should include taking account of any new research and guidance, to ensure that they can continue to provide high-quality care. To increase understanding of FND among GPs, the Royal College of General Practitioners has produced a learning course, which includes a module on recognising and explaining FND, which can be found at: https://www.rcgp.org.uk/learning-resources/courses-and-events/elearning-courses

Department of Health and Social Care