To ask the Minister of Health, pursuant to AQW 6407/22-27, (i) whether feedback from group members on the draft local pathway has been received and collated; and (ii) when the local pathway will be finalised.

I understand that a draft pathway has been developed for local services and is currently with members of the Facial Palsy Regional Planning Group for feedback. This has been a complex process with multiple services involved in the pathway development, and multiple access points into the service across all Trusts in Northern Ireland.

The development of regional pathways and protocols for the management of patients with facial palsy will need to consider referrals of patients with multiple conditions and treatment pathways. Streamlining pathways into local, regional and tertiary level services is not without challenges. This is further complicated by the current funding constraints, as it is not always possible to reconfigure existing services without additional funding, particularly if this change is across multiple Trusts.

It is my hope that a facial palsy pathway for local, regional and tertiary services will be developed and agreed in the coming months, funding permitting.