Asked by: Nicholas Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
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 5 September to Question 284853 on prescription fees and charging, whether NHS England will publish its own impact assessment on the effects of the consultation on dispensing doctors.
Answered by Jo Churchill
The Department’s consultation on changes to the reimbursement of pharmacy contractors has now closed and responses are being analysed. The impact assessment that was published alongside the consultation document will be updated with information provided by respondents to the consultation which includes dispensing doctors and bodies representing them. No separate impact assessment will be undertaken by NHS England and NHS Improvement in relation to the consultation.
Asked by: Nicholas Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which provider supplies energy to his Department; how much CO2 was emitted through his Department’s energy consumption in the latest period for which figures are available; whether the criteria his Department uses to selecting an energy supplier includes how environmentally friendly the supplier is; and what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce CO2 emissions from its energy use.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The Department does not set selection criteria for its energy suppliers. Energy is provided by suppliers selected by Crown Commercial Services and the suppliers are currently EDF and Corona. In 2018/19 the Department produced 2,987.64 tonnes of CO2 through energy consumption. The Department has an ongoing programme of initiatives to reduce emissions.
Asked by: Nicholas Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the suitability of NICE's process of medicines appraisal for new cell and gene therapies.
Answered by Jo Churchill
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an independent body and is responsible for the methods it uses in the development of its technology appraisal and highly specialised technologies recommendations. In March 2016, NICE published a summary report of work undertaken in collaboration with the University of York on the assessment and appraisal of regenerative medicines and cell therapy products. This is available at the following link:
Asked by: Nicholas Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the roles of the members of the (a) steering group, (b) working group and (c) each of the task and finish groups for NICE's review into its methods and processes.
Answered by Jo Churchill
The steering group and working group members and their roles are published on the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) website at the following link:
NICE has advised the Department that it plans to publish the names of those people involved in the task and finish groups on its website as soon as they are confirmed.
Asked by: Nicholas Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he publish the names of the members of the (a) steering group, (b) working group and (c) each of the task and finish groups for NICE’s review into its methods and processes.
Answered by Jo Churchill
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Nicholas Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has been made of the suitability of NICE’s process of medicines appraisal for new cell and gene therapy therapies.
Answered by Jo Churchill
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Nicholas Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps NICE will take in its review into its methods and processes to review the (a) appraisal process and (b) pricing mechanisms for future cell and gene therapies.
Answered by Jo Churchill
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently reviewing its methods and process for technology appraisals and highly specialised technologies. This will include the methods and processes for specific types of technologies such as cell and gene therapies. NICE plans to engage with partners (including industry and patient groups involved with cell and gene therapies) throughout 2019 and 2020.
NICE has set up groups made up of academics, patients, life sciences industry and system partners that will use their collective expertise to help shape the process and methods for cell and gene therapies. A dedicated patient working group has been set up to ensure NICE gets feedback from patients and patient organisations (including those that would benefit from cell and gene therapies). Proposals will also be presented for six weeks of formal public consultation in the summer of 2020.
The development of pricing mechanisms for future cell and gene therapies is undertaken by NHS England’s Commercial Medicines Directorate. NICE’s Commercial Liaison Team enables appropriate translation of NICE Committee decision-making to NHS England’s Commercial Medicines Directorate, but does not have a role in the development of the pricing mechanisms.
Asked by: Nicholas Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what impact assessment is being undertaken as part of the consultation on proposals to change the reimbursement arrangements for NHS dispensing contractors.
Answered by Jo Churchill
The Department is consulting on changes to the reimbursement of pharmacy contractors. The Department acknowledges in the consultation document that dispensing doctors are one of the groups impacted by these reforms. An impact assessment has been published alongside the consultation document which will be updated with information provided by respondents to the consultation. Changes to payments for dispensing doctors are made through the general practitioner contract.
Asked by: Nicholas Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to engage with representatives of dispensing practices on the proposed changes to the reimbursement for the costs of drugs dispensed by NHS contractors.
Answered by Jo Churchill
The Department has informed all relevant stakeholder representative bodies, including the British Medical Association and the Dispensing Doctors’ Association, about the consultation and has offered meetings to explain the proposals and answer any questions. Some representative bodies have taken up this offer.