Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government why patients in England who suffer from gastroparesis cannot receive gastric pacemaker surgery on the NHS.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England does not routinely commission gastric pacemaker surgery, also known as gastro electrical stimulation, for the treatment of gastroparesis. This is because a detailed evidence review conducted in 2016 concluded that there was insufficient robust clinical evidence to demonstrate that the procedure is both clinically effective and cost‑effective for patients.
In 2021, NHS England reviewed the position relating to the surgical insertion of gastric electrical stimulators for the treatment of refractory gastroparesis. The Clinical Panel noted that whilst the evidence base presented was newer, it was still not a strong enough clinical evidence base to prompt a review of the existing policy position.
NHS England continues to keep the evidence base for specialised treatments under review, and any future commissioning decisions would be informed by new, high‑quality evidence demonstrating clear clinical and cost‑effectiveness.