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Written question asked by Luke Evans (Conservative) on Tuesday, 7 July 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 9 July 2026. It was answered by Preet Kaur Gill (Labour) on Thursday, 16 July 2026 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Prescription Drugs

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance exists on shared care arrangements for patients seeking to transition from privately obtained medication to NHS prescriptions where those treatments later become available on the NHS.

Answer

The General Medical Council (GMC) has published guidance on shared care agreements, which supports clinicians in deciding whether entering into a shared care agreement is appropriate for an individual patient. The GMC guidance is clear that shared care agreements are voluntary, and that a general practitioner cannot be mandated to enter a shared care agreement and may decline requests on clinical or capacity grounds.

If a shared care arrangement cannot be put in place after the treatment has been initiated, the responsibility for continued prescribing falls upon the specialist clinician, and this applies to both National Health Service and private medical care.

If a patient receives a treatment privately which subsequently becomes available on the NHS, they should discuss arrangements for transferring or sharing care with their NHS clinician.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
16572
Session
2026-27
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Private sector NHS Prescription drugs
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk