Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has in place to ensure that clinicians will be able to begin prescribing Orkambi and Symkevi within 30 days of his 24 October 2019 announcement.

Clinicians will be able to begin prescribing these drugs within 30 days of the agreement announced on 24 October 2019. NHS England and NHS Improvement estimate that around 5,000 patients will benefit from these treatments. NHS England and NHS Improvement have briefed clinical leaders within the cystic fibrosis community so they are making preparations for this and supply arrangements have been agreed with Vertex. NHS England and NHS Improvement have agreed processes for communicating new policies to hospital trusts and these are also being used in this case.