Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jackie Doyle-Price and Colin Clark

Tuesday 14th November 2017 Commons Chamber

[Colin Clark (Gordon) (Con)]

9. What plans the Government have to improve the availability of access to innovative treatments and technologies in the NHS.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Jackie Doyle-Price)]

On 3 November, we published our response to the accelerated access review. We set out plans to give patients quicker access to life-changing treatments and to make the UK the best place in the world for industry to invest and innovate. We are delighted that Sir Andrew Witty will chair the group overseeing the accelerated access pathway, which will fast-track around five breakthrough products each year and support adoption and uptake of innovation across the NHS.

[Colin Clark]

The technologies used at the neonatal unit at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary are now considered essential by my constituents in Gordon. The unit serves 500,000 people who live within 90 minutes of Aberdeen. What assessment has the Minister made of the importance of proximity of medical innovations to regional communities?

[Jackie Doyle-Price]

I am pleased to hear that from my hon. Friend. It is good to know that we are on track to achieve our ambition to reduce the rates of stillbirth, neonatal and maternal deaths and perinatal brain injuries by 20% by 2020. Innovations such as those in Aberdeen have contributed to that work. It is important that our regional communities have access to specialist care of the kind my hon. Friend describes, and we hope to deliver more through the accelerated access pathway.