Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the severe asthma service specification in ensuring eligible severe asthma patients are able to access biologic medicines.

NHS England’s current severe asthma service specification is being revised by the Specialised Respiratory Clinical Reference Group. The revised specification will support the management of patients who require further investigation and treatments, including biological medicines. The specification will also be updated to reference the most recent clinical guidelines such as the British Thoracic Society, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network’s asthma guideline, covering diagnosing, monitoring, and managing asthma in adults, young people, and children. It is expected to improve outcomes for people with asthma and identify early those who require further investigation and treatments, including biologic medicines. Eligibility for biologics is governed by the NICE’s Technology Appraisals, which make recommendations for the National Health Service on whether treatments represent a clinically and cost-effective use of NHS resources. The NHS in England is legally required to fund NICE-recommended treatments.