Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's publication, Fit for the future: 10 Year Health Plan for England, published on 3 July 2025, how the single national formula for medicines will differ from the British national (a) formulary and (b) formulary for children.

The document Fit for the future: 10 Year Health Plan for England, published on 3 July 2025, describes the creation of a Single National Formulary (SNF) for medicines to supersede the current process by which each local area decides which medicines are available to its patients. A SNF is expected to supersede these local processes with a formulary oversight board responsible for sequencing products included in the SNF, based on clinical and cost effectiveness, and supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). The intention is to drive rapid and equitable adoption of the most clinically and cost-effective medicines.

Work will now begin on design and delivery planning, and we will work collaboratively with key stakeholders, including NICE and industry, on the plans.

The British National Formulary and the British National Formulary for Children are publications of the British Medical Journal and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, that are available on the NICE website. They provide healthcare professionals with a range of information on the selection, prescribing, administration, and dispensing of medicines.