News

We welcome the new clinical care pathway for the UK’s 10 million people with migraine

It now needs to be urgently implemented

2nd February 2023

We welcome the new optimum clinical pathway for UK adults experiencing headache and facial pain that has been published today by the National Neurosciences Advisory Group (NNAG).

We are now is calling for it to be urgently implemented as there needs to be significant improvement in the care for the 10 million people in the UK with migraine. We hope that it will lead to improvements in migraine diagnosis rates and referrals to secondary and tertiary care, as well as increasing access to the new range of migraine treatments that are now available on the NHS.

We were involved in the development of the pathway and hopes its implementation will see real change as currently patients are not being given the care they need. Our report, Dismissed for too long, found that people with migraine often fail to get a swift diagnosis from their GP, wait months to years to see a specialist, and struggle to access the latest medication despite it being available on the NHS.

Development of pathway

The new optimal clinical care pathway was developed by specialist health professionals and patient organisations following consultation with a wide range of stakeholders, including people living with headache and facial pain. This is part of a suite of optimal neuroscience clinical pathways that have been developed by the neurological community, with the support of NHS England and the National Neurosciences Advisory Group (NNAG). It can be found here.

 

“I’m delighted that The Migraine Trust and people living with migraine were able to provide input into the new clinical care pathway, which is a vitally important step forward for people living with headache and facial pain. Conditions like migraine are hugely debilitating and can take a significant toll on a person’s mental health and quality of life, and they affect millions of people across the UK. We know that many people with migraine are dismissed, overlooked and struggle to access the care, referrals and medication they need and are eligible for. The new pathway will not only help the healthcare system deal with people with headache conditions more effectively, it will also help to improve lives.”

Rob Music, Chief Executive of The Migraine Trust