Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the effect of NICE technology appraisal recommendations on the level of uptake of new medical technologies among NHS healthcare providers.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has advised that it defines medical technologies as all products, except medicines, used in healthcare to diagnose, prevent, monitor or treat illness or disability, for example a pacemaker, knee replacement, X-ray machine or blood pressure monitor.

National Health Service commissioners are legally required to make funding available for health technologies recommended by NICE, normally within three months of the publication of NICE’s final guidance.

NHS Digital publishes information on the uptake of NICE approved medicines across NHS providers through the Innovation Scorecard. Work is taking place to improve information on the uptake of medical technologies, including those with a positive NICE appraisal. The latest publication can be viewed at:

http://content.digital.nhs.uk/catalogue/PUB21784