Question reference: S6W-19380
- Date lodged: 22 June 2023
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Current status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 11 July 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the potential impact of increasing the number of centres that offer magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) treatment on the NHS in Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring all people living in Scotland with neurological conditions, such as Essential Tremor, are able to access the best possible care, support and benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and put people at the centre of their care.
Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) was taken through the initial stages of the National Service Division’s National Specialist Services Committee assessment in 2018, which concluded there was insufficient evidence to support a formal national service at that time.
MRgFUS treatment is therefore currently provided on a trial basis in Scotland to help inform the evidence-base for the treatment and ensure that it is subject to rigorous clinical assessment to establish patient safety and efficacy before any decision on adopting it in the NHS. NHS Tayside have informed National Services Division that an application for national designation of the MRgFUS service in Dundee is expected to be submitted for 2024/25.
All decisions on a further referral to NHS England for any patient are the responsibility of the NHS Board where the patient resides. Specialist treatment outwith NHS Scotland is managed by the National Services Division as part of NHS National Services Scotland (NSS).
In the meantime, NSS is engaging with both clinicians in Dundee and colleagues in NHS England to determine how treatment might be made available more widely for eligible Scottish patients.