Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North and Kimberley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 6 July 2022 to Question 23788 on radioligand therapy, what central funding will be made available for regional teams to expand services to meet the potential increase in NICE-approved radioligand therapies.
Answered by James Morris
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for St Albans (Daisy Cooper MP) on 19 July 2022 to Question 33934.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North and Kimberley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 6 July 2022 to Question 23788 on radioligand therapy, what plans he has to meet the new National Speciality Adviser for Nuclear Medicine when they are appointed, to discuss funding arrangements for local radioligand therapy service expansion.
Answered by James Morris
No specific plans have yet been confirmed.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North and Kimberley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 20 June 2022 to Question 18021 on Radioligand Therapy, if he will hold discussions with NHS leaders on steps that will be taken to help ensure that patient access to radioligand therapy is not delayed in the event that the system's capacity is not ready following any future NICE recommendations.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
No specific assessment has been made. Where treatments are approved via the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) technology appraisals, NHS England and NHS Improvement seek to ensure appropriate access for patients which reflects NICE’s recommendations within the license of the treatment. Regional teams receive advice and guidance from NHS England and NHS Improvement’s specialised commissioning team.
While no specific discussions are planned, NHS England and NHS Improvement recognise the potential of NICE-approved radioligand therapies and are appointing a new National Specialty Advisor for Nuclear Medicine to ensure these opportunities are realised.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North and Kimberley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 20 June 2022 to Question 18021 on Radioligand Therapy, what assessment he has made of the ability of NHS regional teams to assess providers’ ability to deliver against required standards for radioligand therapy commissioning in the absence of agreed national standards.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
No specific assessment has been made. Where treatments are approved via the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) technology appraisals, NHS England and NHS Improvement seek to ensure appropriate access for patients which reflects NICE’s recommendations within the license of the treatment. Regional teams receive advice and guidance from NHS England and NHS Improvement’s specialised commissioning team.
While no specific discussions are planned, NHS England and NHS Improvement recognise the potential of NICE-approved radioligand therapies and are appointing a new National Specialty Advisor for Nuclear Medicine to ensure these opportunities are realised.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North and Kimberley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, who will be responsible for implementing the recommendations of General Sir Gordon Messenger’s health and social care review entitled, Leadership for a collaborative and inclusive future, published in June 2022; what the timetable for implementation is; and what financial and other resources will be available for implementation.
Answered by Edward Argar
An implementation plan will be developed through discussions with stakeholders in health and care, including a timetable for delivery. Appropriate governance and accountability arrangements will be established for a review implementation office, with a direct mandate from the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. This will also include annual priorities and resourcing requirements, which will be met from existing budgets.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North and Kimberley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 18 May to Question 86 on Prostate Cancer, what assessment his Department has made of the NHS’s readiness for using lutetium vipivotide tetraxetan in the treatment of prostate-specific membrane antigen positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.
Answered by Edward Argar
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body which makes recommendations for the National Health Service on the clinical and cost effectiveness of new medicines. NICE is currently appraising lutetium vipivotide tetraxetan for the treatment of prostate-specific membrane antigen-positive castration-resistant metastatic prostate cancer. If recommended, it will be eligible for funding and available to National Health Service patients through the Cancer Drugs Fund on publication of NICE’s draft guidance. It expected to published in autumn 2022.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North and Kimberley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS England will produce clear national guidance for Trusts to develop services that provide radioligand therapy where currently there is no provision.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
It is expected that all new therapeutic radioligand treatments for cancer will be appraised by National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE), via its technology appraisal process. If approved, treatments are normally made available to patients from the date of NICE’s positive draft guidance. National Health Service regional teams would commission providers to deliver radioligand therapy based on an assessment of current access arrangements, current and future demand and whether the provider can meet the required standards.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North and Kimberley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to prepare the health system for the forecasted increase in the eligible radioligand therapy patient population.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
It is expected that all new therapeutic radioligand treatments for cancer will be appraised by National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE), via its technology appraisal process. If approved, treatments are normally made available to patients from the date of NICE’s positive draft guidance. National Health Service regional teams would commission providers to deliver radioligand therapy based on an assessment of current access arrangements, current and future demand and whether the provider can meet the required standards.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North and Kimberley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will introduce new guidance on the duty in the Health and Care Act 2022 to commission palliative care services and for that guidance to specify an expectation that palliative care services should be available in every setting, on a 24/7 basis, by telephone and in person, through a single point of contact.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
NHS England and NHS Improvement plan to introduce new statutory guidance to support integrated care boards (ICBs) in the duties under the Health and Care Act 2022, including the provision of palliative care. In addition to the statutory guidance, NHS England and NHS Improvement will work with stakeholders to consider how ICBs can be supported in the discharge of these duties. This includes determining any further additional technical guidance and tools required to support commissioners on the provision of palliative and end of life care services, according to the needs of the local population. All guidance developed will take account of appropriate best practice guidance, including the World Health Organization’s definition of palliative and end of life care and guidelines published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North and Kimberley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will introduce new guidance on the duty in the Health and Care Act 2022 to commission palliative care services and for that guidance to include reference to support the wishes of patients and their families.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
NHS England and NHS Improvement plan to introduce new statutory guidance to support integrated care boards (ICBs) in the duties under the Health and Care Act 2022, including the provision of palliative care. In addition to the statutory guidance, NHS England and NHS Improvement will work with stakeholders to consider how ICBs can be supported in the discharge of these duties. This includes determining any further additional technical guidance and tools required to support commissioners on the provision of palliative and end of life care services, according to the needs of the local population. All guidance developed will take account of appropriate best practice guidance, including the World Health Organization’s definition of palliative and end of life care and guidelines published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.