Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance has been issued to NHS Trusts on charging for operations which were previously offered free on the NHS.

It is for the local clinical commissioning group (CCG) to decide what services they commission for the people they are responsible for – this will mean making clinical judgements about the effectiveness and value of treatments, and the best allocation of resources. CCGs do this based on the healthcare needs of their local populations and clinical evidence, to ensure they are providing the best possible, sustainable care for their patients.

Treatment decisions should always be made by doctors based on a patient’s individual clinical needs and informed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guidelines.

NICE clinical guidelines make many recommendations spanning all stages of care from diagnosis to treatment of a condition. They represent best practice and are based on available evidence and developed through consultation. Health professionals and organisations are expected to take the guidance fully into account when deciding treatments.

A fundamental principle of the National Health Service is that, for people who are ‘ordinarily resident’ in the United Kingdom, treatment is free at the point of need, regardless of the patient’s ability to pay. Patient payments, other than those limited forms permitted by Regulations (such as prescription charges, payments for some clinical activity undertaken by dentists, and visitor and migrant charges) are contrary to NHS policy.