Scottish Government outlines support for families  

Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care outlines the Scottish Government’s support for those affected by PANS and PANDAS.

We are pleased to share correspondence received by Wendy Chamberlain MP from Neil Gray MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care at the Scottish Government, clarifying how the Scottish Government is supporting families affected by PANS and PANDAS.

In the letter, he:

• Recognises the challenges for families in seeking a diagnosis and effective care. 

• Confirms that multidisciplinary services for PANS and PANDAS are currently available in Glasgow and Edinburgh. 

• Commits to monitoring the recommendations of the PANS PANDAS Working Group to explore how best practice can be expanded across other NHS Boards in Scotland. 

• Recognises the need to raise awareness amongst clinicians, and the opportunity that early recognition and intervention could offer in terms of reducing the strain on other services such as CAMHS. 

PANS PANDAS UK welcomes this much-needed update from the Scottish Government. This support will aid families affected by PANS and PANDAS, particularly when engaging with public services that may be unfamiliar with the conditions or perceive them as controversial. 

Based on feedback from the PANS and PANDAS community across Scotland, we are aware that the multidisciplinary services in Glasgow and Edinburgh are not common knowledge. We have requested further information about them and how patients can be referred to these services.   

As the work of the PANS PANDAS Working Group progresses, we look forward to working with both the Scottish Government and NHS Scotland to improve standards of care and awareness across all services.