§ Mr. HeathTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what facilities are available within the NHS for treating 422W the condition of Vein of Galen; what specialists on the treatment of Vein of Galen are available to treat patients through the NHS; and whether the Great Ormond Street Hospital provides specialist treatment for the Vein of Galen malformation. [26049]
§ Jacqui SmithGreat Ormond Street jointly manages the provision of national health service funded specialist clinical services for this condition in partnership with the National Hospital for Neuroscience. As a national tertiary centre, Great Ormond Street arranges treatment and aftercare for all United Kingdom referrals for children who either have or have had this condition. As this is a relatively new, highly specialist and developing service, a clinical review body has been organised to assess the most appropriate interventions on an individual case by case basis.
Great Ormond Street has recently appointed a new consultant in this specialty, whom they intend to send to Paris for specific training in this procedure. There are currently no children waiting for surgical intervention for this condition in the UK.