Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure patients in England with (a) skin conditions and (b) atopic dermatitis are able to access to new innovative treatments.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body that provides guidance on the prevention and treatment of ill health and the promotion of good health and social care. NICE has published a range of guidance products for the management of skin conditions, including technology appraisals, guidelines and quality standards, which can be accessed at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/conditions-and-diseases/skin-conditions/skin-conditions--general-and-other#technology-appraisal-guidance

National Health Service commissioners are legally required to fund treatments recommended by NICE in its technology appraisal guidance.

The Government takes the issue of ensuring rapid access to innovative therapies very seriously, which is why on 3 November 2017, we published our response to the Accelerated Access Review. We set out plans to give patients quicker access to life-changing treatments and make the United Kingdom the best place in the world for industry to invest and innovate.