Progress in Parliament
PANS PANDAS UK spent a positive day in London on 19th November, meeting first with the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health, before going on to host a drop-in event at Portcullis House in Westminster for MPs to attend.
Further to Wendy Chamberlain MP’s recent request for the Prime Minister to facilitate a meeting with the Department of Health and Social Care, PANS PANDAS UK were invited to meet with Baroness Merron and clinical directors from NHS England to discuss the work underway to improve standards of care available and to seek the Department’s support moving forward.
Representatives from the charity, Wendy Chamberlain and an expert clinician detailed the significant challenges facing families and professionals, and the current barriers to improving healthcare and patient experience. The Minister listened with interest, commending the work of both the charity and the PANS PANDAS Steering Group and agreed to enable further meetings looking at funding to support efforts to improve research and standards of care.
The afternoon saw a Parliamentary drop-in event, again sponsored by Wendy Chamberlain, bringing together charity representatives, community members and MPs to discuss what can be done in Parliament to support people living with PANS and PANDAS.
We were delighted to share our new manifesto, urging the Government to take PANS and PANDAS into account as they develop the new NHS ten-year healthcare plan and sharing ideas for how MPs can keep the conditions on the agenda in Parliament. We also welcomed the publication by Michelle Scrogham MP of an Early Day motion in Parliament, entitled ‘Care for PANS and PANDAS‘ which draws attention to the challenges currently facing our community and the work being done to address this.
It was heartening to see such a host of interested and engaged MPs, many of whom reported being so moved by the letters they had received from parents, carers and young people that they felt compelled to join the PANS PANDAS All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) to make an active difference. We are hopeful that we have sufficient interest that the APPG can be reestablished shortly.
We are pleased to have witnessed such positive engagement today and look forward to continuing driving forward change.
