NHS: New Treatments

Earl Howe
asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they are planning to revise the Health Service Circular HSC/1999/176; if so, when a revised circular will be issued; and whether it will include new guidance for strategic health authorities and primary care trusts regarding the funding of licensed treatments or new technologies that have not been considered by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.[HL6750]

The Minister of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner)
Revised guidance will be published later this year, and copies will be placed in the Library. The guidance will include advice to the National Health Service on the funding of licensed treatments or new technologies that have not been the subject of guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.

Earl Howe
asked Her Majesty's Government:

What sources of advice and information they provide on how primary care trusts and health authorities should make funding decisions for licensed pharmaceutical treatments or technologies which have not been considered by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.[HL6751]

Lord Warner
Guidance published in HSC 1999/176 recommends that, where no guidance has been issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), the National Health Service should use existing arrangements to access publicly available evidence on the effectiveness of new interventions. Bulletins published by the National Prescribing Centre, which is funded by the Department of Health and NICE, are identified as one source of such information. Further sources of advice and information will be identified in the update of this guidance, which we plan to issue later this year.