Medical Treatments

(asked on 14th July 2014) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress he has made in implementation of the Coalition Programme to ensure that all patients can access the drugs and treatments their doctors think they need.


Answered by
Norman Lamb Portrait
Norman Lamb
This question was answered on 21st July 2014

Improving access to effective medicines continues to be a priority for the Government.

Patients have the right to drugs and treatments that have been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for use in the National Health Service, where their doctor believes they are clinically appropriate.

Where a cancer drug is not routinely funded by the NHS, patients may be able to access it through the Cancer Drugs Fund. Since October 2010, over 50,000 patients in England have benefited from the Fund, which was established to help cancer patients access the drugs recommended by their clinician.

The 2014 Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme agreement supports the NHS by ensuring that the branded medicines bill covered by the Scheme stays within affordable limits, while patients’ access to NICE recommended drugs will be protected.

Reticulating Splines