Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of the proposed introduction of a health inequalities modifier for patients with (a) sickle cell disease, (b) haemoglobinopathies and (c) conditions with high levels of clinical unmet need in NICE’s ongoing review of its methods and processes.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an independent body and is currently reviewing its methods and processes for health technology assessment.

NICE consulted on the case for changes to its methods in late 2020 and proposed that there may be a case for introducing a modifier that addresses health inequalities.

NICE is now considering the responses it received to the consultation and the impacts of the proposals. It is too soon to comment on what changes might be implemented, however, NICE intends to consult on the proposed changes to its methods and processes in the summer.

Departmental officials are represented on the committees that NICE has set up as part of the review and have had a number of discussions with NICE and NHS England about the review, including about the introduction of a health inequalities modifier.