Oral Answers to Questions

Lyn Brown Excerpts
Tuesday 7th May 2019

(4 years, 10 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Caroline Dinenage Portrait Caroline Dinenage
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Of the original 2015 cohort that the hon. Lady mentioned, 6,325 people have been discharged and 476 beds have been decommissioned, but the thing is that people are still coming in. The only way we can achieve permanent, long-term cuts is if we invest in community health. That is why the long-term plan commits to an extra £4.5 billion a year for community health. Local providers are expected to use some of that to develop the right specialist services in the community to reduce avoidable admissions.

Lyn Brown Portrait Lyn Brown (West Ham) (Lab)
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9. What recent assessment he has made of the efficiency of decision making by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Matt Hancock Portrait The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Matt Hancock)
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Wherever possible, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence aims to publish recommendations on new drugs within a few months of licensing and now publishes draft guidance on cancer drugs even before licensing. Many thousands of patients have benefited from rapid access to effective new drugs as a result.

Lyn Brown Portrait Lyn Brown
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The Secretary of State will know that Maryam is now nine months old. We have been waiting nine long weeks for NICE to announce a decision that I am told it has already made. Spinal muscular atrophy babies have been waiting 16 months for the care they need, which is longer than many SMA babies live without treatment. There is another closed-door meeting tomorrow. If NICE finally decides to provide Spinraza on the NHS, how long will it be before Maryam and the other babies get their first dose?

Matt Hancock Portrait Matt Hancock
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The hon. Lady rightly raises an important case, and I have met her about it and followed it closely. As she says, there is work ongoing and happening this week to try to make progress. NICE is currently developing technical appraisal guidance on the use of the drug Spinraza, to which she refers. We are working to ensure that we can get it right.