Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking steps to prioritise the use of cost and clinically effective cancer medicines that result in fewer patient visits to hospital.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations on whether all new medicines, including cancer medicines, should be routinely funded by the National Health Service based on an assessment of their costs and benefits. The NHS in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended by the NICE, and cancer medicines are eligible for funding from the Cancer Drugs Fund from the point of positive draft NICE guidance.

In determining whether a medicine represents a clinically and cost effective use of NHS resources, the NICE takes into account the impact of new medicines on health outcomes and the health and care system, including where costs may be incurred and where savings may be realised.