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 that National Institute for Health and Care Excellence technology appraisal guidance is implemented by (a) breast cancer and (b) other services within three months of publication.

The National Health Service in England is legally required to make funding available for treatments recommended in National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) technology appraisals, normally within three months of the publication of final guidance. Funding is available through the Cancer Drugs Fund from the point of NICE’s draft guidance for cancer medicines recommended by NICE.

The 2023/24 standard contract, which applies to all contracts between NHS commissioners and providers, also stipulates that, where any service involves or may involve the prescribing of medicines, the provider must ensure that its formulary reflects all relevant positive NICE technology appraisals and must make available to service users all relevant treatments recommended in positive NICE technology appraisals.