Dear FES Clinicians
I am pleased to announce that NICE have now published their guidance for FES for dropped foot. The guidance supports the use of FES within the NHS and applies to all patient groups who have dropped foot due to an upper motor neuron lesions. The advice also applies to both external and implanted FES systems.
While the guidance does not oblige NHS funders to pay for the treatment it does at least mean that PCTs will no longer be able to claim that there is insufficient evidence for the technique.
I’d like to thank all the people who have championed FES over the years and built up enough pressure to get a new technique into clinical practice. Thanks also to those that participated in the NICE consultation. They did listen to us in the end!
Yours sincerely
Dr Paul Taylor
Clinical Engineer.
NICE Interventional procedure guidance IPG278
Published January 28, 2009 the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) have issued an interventional procedures guidance for Functional Electrical Stimulation for drop foot of central neurological origin advising that;
“1.1.Current evidence on the safety and efficacy (in terms of improving gait) of functional electrical stimulation (FES) for drop foot of central neurological origin appears adequate to support the use of this procedure provided that normal arrangements are in place for clinical governance, consent and audit.”
In the accompanying publication “Understanding NICE guidance: Information for people who use NHS services: Treating drop foot using electrical stimulation”, the following summary is given:
“What has NICE said?
This procedure can be offered routinely as a treatment option for people with drop foot caused by damage to the brain or spinal cord, provided that doctors are sure that:
• the patient understands what is involved and agrees to the treatment, and
• the results of the procedure are monitored.
For the version of the procedure in which the electrodes are
implanted, a healthcare team including rehabilitation specialists should
be involved in deciding which patients should have the procedure.”
To see the full published guidance please visit: