Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will develop a simple funding pathway for focal ablative therapies to ensure that patients have the option to receive minimally invasive treatments.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group’s report refers to a number of treatments which are not directly commissioned by NHS England and NHS Improvement. Where the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has recommended a treatment following a technology appraisal, commissioners have a mandate to support implementation, including providing funding pathways where necessary.

For those treatments cited in the report which have received a positive technology appraisal, such as the use of selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) to treat hepatocellular carcinoma, NHS England and NHS Improvement’s specialised commissioning team is currently expanding the number of providers. This involves a Prior Information Notice and market engagement exercise, which is due to be completed in 2022/23, before a service can be delegated to integrated care boards.