Two new national clinical directors in neurology, spinal surgery and neurosurgery have been announced this week.
Dr Niranjanan Nirmalananthan, Consultant Neurologist at St George’s Hospital London, will take up the mantle of National Clinical Director (NCD) for Neurology, while the position of NCD for Spinal Surgery and Neurosurgery will be held by Mr David Cumming, Consultant Spinal Surgeon, East Suffolk & North Essex NHS Foundation Trust.
The announcements follow a review in clinical leadership by NHS England earlier this year. In their new positions, Dr Nirmalananthan and Mr Cumming will provide clinical advice and leadership in order to drive the transformation of services for patients affected by neurological conditions, including brain tumours, and support the development of national policy and parliamentary accountability.
Brain Tumour Research is hopeful that the new appointees will help deepen our understanding of the health inequalities faced by people affected by brain tumours, and will do their utmost to tackle them, through enhanced data and insight. We would also like to see efforts made to address inequalities in health research participation for brain tumour patients. Moreover, we believe that research needs to be embedded in clinical practice.
As well as addressing the significant gaps in support for the mental health of people affected by neurological conditions, we fully support the Neurological Alliance’s call for a UK-wide Neuro Taskforce. This will help to tackle common challenges faced by people affected by neurological conditions.
We look forward to working with Dr Nirmalananthan and Mr Cumming and we’re glad to see inequalities in access to assessment and treatment and improving access to commissioned treatments are their top priorities.
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