Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to publish details of its plans to pilot a proportionate approach to Equality and Health Inequalities Assessment in its health technology evaluations.

Contributing to the reduction of health inequalities forms part of the National Institute of Care and Excellence (NICE) strategic ambition. As part of that work NICE has developed a framework to assess the impact of its guidance on equality and health inequalities which is available at the following link: https://www.nice.org.uk/about/what-we-do/nice-and-health-inequalities

The health technology evaluation programmes, for example, technology appraisals and highly specialised technologies, allow for the consideration of health inequalities, and the existing equalities impact assessment form is being expanded to include specific consideration of health inequalities in addition to protected characteristics, in line with the agreed framework. NICE’s approach will be proportionate to the importance of addressing health inequalities, the scope and potential for health technology evaluation recommendations to address health inequalities, and the resource and evidence implications for NICE and its stakeholders.

NICE also published a report to its board (item 9) in December 2022. This report detailed the progress on Equality and Health Inequalities Assessment and outlined next steps, including introducing this approach to appraisals of medicines and medical technologies. This report is available at the following link: https://www.nice.org.uk/get-involved/meetings-in-public/public-board-meetings/agenda-papers-december-2022