Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps NHS Improvement is taking to ensure that hospital trusts across the NHS are following shared decision-making principles and patient consent guidance within NHS England's Commissioning framework for biological medicines (including biosimilar medicines) when implementing biosimilar switching programmes.

NHS Improvement does not monitor use of shared decision making. It instead monitors uptake of the biosimilars as against the original – usually patented – medicines.

It does, however, hold a joint role in supporting the National Health Service to use the best value biologic medicine which is part of a long standing programme of work connected to the NHS Biosimilar Medicines Programme Board, the NHS England Medicines Value Programme and the NHS Improvement Top 10 Medicines remit.

The biosimilars medicines programme board is intended to ensure appropriate use of biosimilar medicines across the NHS in England. This includes shared decision making and patient consent and the board has produced guidance which sets out the importance of shared decision making which is fully endorsed by patient groups.