What the new NICE guideline means for your child's neurological rehabilitation

NICE NG252 is the first guideline to bring rehabilitation recommendations for chronic neurological disorders together. It recognises that needs fluctuate and recommends ongoing access, not time-limited episodes.

NICE NG252 (October 2025) is the first guideline to bring rehabilitation recommendations for chronic neurological disorders together in one place, covering acquired brain injury, spinal cord injury, FND, peripheral nerve disorders, and progressive neurological conditions.

For families, the most significant aspect of NG252 is its recognition that neurological needs fluctuate across childhood and into adulthood. The guideline recommends ongoing access to rehabilitation, not time-limited episodes of care followed by discharge. This represents a shift from the episodic model of care that many families currently experience.

FND (Functional Neurological Disorder) now has NICE-level rehabilitation guidance for the first time. This is significant for children and young people with functional movement disorders who have historically struggled to access appropriate therapy.

The guideline also recommends proactive planning for the transition from paediatric to adult services at age 18. This is a point where many young people fall through the gap between children's and adult NHS services. Thrive is able to provide continuity of care across this transition.

NICE does not fund services, but families, solicitors, and independent clinicians routinely cite NICE guidelines in EHCP disputes and Tribunal cases. Where the guideline recommends a model of care that matches what you're asking for, it strengthens your position. Thrive's community-based, home-visit model is exactly the kind of accessible, ongoing rehabilitation that NG252 describes.