Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which patient organisations are members of the (a) modifiers considered in decision-making, (b) exploring uncertainty, (c) types of evidence, (d) health-related quality of life, (e) technology specific issues, (f) discounting, (g) cost-minimisation methods (h) costs used in HTA, (i) equality considerations in guideline development, (j) general approach to decision-making and (k) position of technologies in care pathway, NICE methods review task and finish groups.

The following patient groups are currently involved across the programme of task and finish groups. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has advised that it continues to seek further members for the task and finish groups, and a full list of members is still to be finalised.

- Alzheimer's Research UK;

- Breast Cancer Now;

- Cancer52;

- Cystic Fibrosis Trust ;

- Diabetes UK;

- Genetic Alliance UK;

- Leukaemia CARE;

- Multiple Sclerosis Society;

- Muscular Dystrophy UK;

- Myeloma UK;

- Neuroendocrine Cancer UK;

- Prostate cancer UK; and

- Sarcoma UK.

In recruiting patient organisations to the NICE methods review task and finish groups, patients on the methods working group were asked to nominate representatives with a range of experience. Additional representatives were nominated by NICE where particular expertise or input was required. The organisations involved in the task and finish groups cover a broad spectrum of disease areas including cancer, non-cancer and rare diseases.