New report highlights variable care quality for neurological conditions

People with neurological conditions in England are not receiving a standard of care quality that can be consistently deemed good enough.

This is according to a new report from the Public Accounts Committee, which indicated a wide variation across the country in terms of access, outcomes and patient experience, leading to delays in diagnosis and treatment.

It was revealed that 40 percent of people with a neurological condition do not think local services work well together, while only 12 percent have a written care plan to help coordinate their care.

Overall, the NHS spent 3.3 billion pounds on neurological services in 2012-13, accounting for 3.5 percent of total spending. This is up from 3.1 percent in 2010-11, with hospital activity involving patients with neurological conditions on the rise in recent years.

Given the lack of improvements made since a previous report from the committee was published in 2012, MPs have called for widespread improvements to be made in terms of planning, coordination and the use of data.

Meg Hillier, chair of the Public Accounts Committee, said: "Strong, consistent leadership and accountability are crucial if patients are to see sustained improvements to services and more effective use of the resources available."