Following years of campaigning by the neurological community the first ever neurological dataset for England was published on 20th March 2014.
Instrumental in bringing about this essential change for the future of neurological services is The Neurological Alliance, of which The Migraine Trust is a member.
Despite the growing impact that neurological conditions are having on our health and social care services, up until now very little information has been nationally collated and published about how services for people with neurological conditions are performing.
This means that there has been no reliable means of capturing the true prevalence of migraine, headache and other neurological conditions nationally and locally. Without such data the NHS cannot accurately define service priorities or monitor progress.
The publication of the neurological dataset, which is available on the Health and Social Care Information Centre website means that for the first time it will be possible to focus clearly on what is happening for people with migraine and other neurological conditions in England and start to pinpoint where problems may exist and how these can be addressed.
Wendy Thomas, Chief Executive of The Migraine Trust, said: “The Migraine Trust welcomes the publication of the new neurological dataset in England.
This is a positive step to ensuring that the NHS have the data, intelligence and evidence it needs to improve the standards of care and support for people with migraine and headache disorders.”
She went on to point out that there is “a long road ahead but looked forward to ongoing work on the development of the dataset.”
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