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 work with NICE to help ensure that its committees (a) adequality consider and (b) are accountable to patient testimony.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an independent body and is responsible for the methods and processes it uses in developing its guidance. Patients are represented on NICE’s committees and patient groups are able to register as stakeholders in the development of guidance and comment on its recommendations. NICE is currently reviewing its methods and processes for developing recommendations on new technologies, including its processes for patient involvement.