Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any regional variation in access to infusion services; and whether they have any plans to publish the latest data on this variation.

The Department and NHS England do not collect information on infusion services as such. However, the rise in the number of infused medicines approved for use in the National Health Service in England continues, as new and innovative medicines come to market.

The increase in demand for existing infused medicines such as chemotherapy and immunotherapies continues, as diagnosis and survival rates for patients improve. I understand from NHS England that over 70% of the secondary care medicines budget is spent on infused medicines.

In recognition of this, NHS England has created the Infusions and Special Medicines programme to oversee capital development, to improve capacity, and to develop the skilled workforce needed to compound these medicines.