Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, (a) with reference to NICE guideline NG163, published 3 April 2020, by what process that guideline was commissioned, (b) by what processes the NHS decided to procure Midazolam for use in patient care, including end-of-life care and (c) by what process the NHS decided on the quantity of Midazolam it would procure in each of the last four years.

The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guideline NG163 published in 2020 was commissioned in accordance with an established agreement between NHS England and NICE. The focus at that time was given to providing rapid guidance on the management of affected patients with COVID-19. A number of NICE’s COVID-19 rapid guidelines were incorporated into a single guideline for the management of COVID-19 in children and adults (NG191).

During the pandemic there was an increase in demand for, and consequently in the United Kingdom’s purchase of a number of medicines, including midazolam, to support the care of COVID-19 patients in intensive care and at the end of life. National Health Service purchasing decisions are made by individual trusts against national procurement frameworks. Volumes are calculated based on their forecast consumption.