Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 9 February (HL5209), why the Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board continues to re-review liothyronine patients already assessed in the NHS despite national guidance that “patients who have already had a review by an NHS consultant endocrinologist should continue to be prescribed liothyronine under existing arrangements”.

The current Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board guidance on the prescribing of liothyronine was agreed by the former Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group in April 2023. Any patients new to Gloucestershire will have their current clinical status reviewed within the existing local clinical pathway. This process will involve an initial ‘advice and guidance’ specialist review which, based on individual patient circumstances, will inform a decision on whether a more detailed specialist clinical review is indicated or not.

The intention is that ongoing treatment of a patient’s condition will normally continue whilst the clinical review process is completed. The outcome of this process is that local specialists, general practitioners, and patients can have a high level of confidence in the quality and standards of care provided to patients indicated for liothyronine on the National Health Service in Gloucestershire.