It has not proved possible to reply to the hon. Member in the time available before prorogation

The Department is working closely with NHS England and NHS Supply Chain to improve National Health Service procurement of innovative medical technology.

Building on the work of NHS Supply Chain to consider the potential benefits and practical application of value-based procurement (VBP), we are developing a consistent methodology for VBP to be adopted at a national and local level. This aims to shift procurement decisions away from an emphasis on reducing product costs to consider technologies that represent a reduction in total costs within the patient pathway.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence will undertake new Multi-Technology Evaluations of technologies in use and at a later stage in their lifecycle. These evaluations will enable comparisons between similar products, so that we can send a clear, evidence-based signal on value to NHS decision makers, clinicians, and patients.

The Department is consulting on proposals to update processes on applications to the Part IX of the drug tariff in primary care. The proposals include increasing patient input into decision making, recognising what makes a product valuable to a patient.

The Department’s inaugural Medical Technology (MedTech) Strategy was published on 3 February 2023, building on the broader Life Sciences Vision. We are committed to ensuring that the Department utilises innovative MedTech as implementation progresses.

The MedTech Strategy includes a range of initiatives aimed at streamlining the end-to-end innovation pathway, including procurement routes, to expedite patient access to MedTech and boost adoption within the National Health Service.

The Innovative Devices Access Pathway pilot was launched on 19 September 2023. This new pathway will provide multi-partner support for the rapid development of innovative technologies for adoption into the NHS to address unmet clinical needs. More information on the pilot is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-innovative-devices-access-pathway-idap

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence will undertake new Multi-Technology Evaluations of technologies in use and at a later stage in their lifecycle. These evaluations will enable comparisons between similar products and support the NHS to make better informed decisions on the right product for the right price.

The Department is working closely with NHS Supply Chain and NHS England to develop a consistent methodology for value-based procurement (VBP). VBP aims to shift procurement decisions away from an emphasis on reducing product costs to working with industry to consider technologies that represent a reduction in total costs within the patient pathway. Timeframes are still being determined.

The Department will consult on updating processes on applications to Part IX of the Drug Tariff to support the adoption of innovation in primary and community care.

The NHS Innovation Service is providing innovators with the resources, tools and support they need to increase the chances of getting their product or idea adopted by the NHS. More information is available at the following link:

https://innovation.nhs.uk/

We plan to assess the impact of these initiatives through the MedTech Strategy Programme governance structures.

The Department’s inaugural Medical Technology (MedTech) Strategy was published on 3 February 2023, building on the broader Life Sciences Vision. We are committed to ensuring that the Department utilises innovative MedTech as implementation progresses.

The MedTech Strategy includes a range of initiatives aimed at streamlining the end-to-end innovation pathway, including procurement routes, to expedite patient access to MedTech and boost adoption within the National Health Service.

The Innovative Devices Access Pathway pilot was launched on 19 September 2023. This new pathway will provide multi-partner support for the rapid development of innovative technologies for adoption into the NHS to address unmet clinical needs. More information on the pilot is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-innovative-devices-access-pathway-idap

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence will undertake new Multi-Technology Evaluations of technologies in use and at a later stage in their lifecycle. These evaluations will enable comparisons between similar products and support the NHS to make better informed decisions on the right product for the right price.

The Department is working closely with NHS Supply Chain and NHS England to develop a consistent methodology for value-based procurement (VBP). VBP aims to shift procurement decisions away from an emphasis on reducing product costs to working with industry to consider technologies that represent a reduction in total costs within the patient pathway. Timeframes are still being determined.

The Department will consult on updating processes on applications to Part IX of the Drug Tariff to support the adoption of innovation in primary and community care.

The NHS Innovation Service is providing innovators with the resources, tools and support they need to increase the chances of getting their product or idea adopted by the NHS. More information is available at the following link:

https://innovation.nhs.uk/

We plan to assess the impact of these initiatives through the MedTech Strategy Programme governance structures.

The Department’s inaugural Medical Technology (MedTech) Strategy was published on 3 February 2023, building on the broader Life Sciences Vision. We are committed to ensuring that the Department utilises innovative MedTech as implementation progresses.

The MedTech Strategy includes a range of initiatives aimed at streamlining the end-to-end innovation pathway, including procurement routes, to expedite patient access to MedTech and boost adoption within the National Health Service.

The Innovative Devices Access Pathway pilot was launched on 19 September 2023. This new pathway will provide multi-partner support for the rapid development of innovative technologies for adoption into the NHS to address unmet clinical needs. More information on the pilot is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-innovative-devices-access-pathway-idap

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence will undertake new Multi-Technology Evaluations of technologies in use and at a later stage in their lifecycle. These evaluations will enable comparisons between similar products and support the NHS to make better informed decisions on the right product for the right price.

The Department is working closely with NHS Supply Chain and NHS England to develop a consistent methodology for value-based procurement (VBP). VBP aims to shift procurement decisions away from an emphasis on reducing product costs to working with industry to consider technologies that represent a reduction in total costs within the patient pathway. Timeframes are still being determined.

The Department will consult on updating processes on applications to Part IX of the Drug Tariff to support the adoption of innovation in primary and community care.

The NHS Innovation Service is providing innovators with the resources, tools and support they need to increase the chances of getting their product or idea adopted by the NHS. More information is available at the following link:

https://innovation.nhs.uk/

We plan to assess the impact of these initiatives through the MedTech Strategy Programme governance structures.

The Department’s inaugural Medical Technology (MedTech) Strategy was published on 3 February 2023, building on the broader Life Sciences Vision. We are committed to ensuring that the Department utilises innovative MedTech as implementation progresses.

The MedTech Strategy includes a range of initiatives aimed at streamlining the end-to-end innovation pathway, including procurement routes, to expedite patient access to MedTech and boost adoption within the National Health Service.

The Innovative Devices Access Pathway pilot was launched on 19 September 2023. This new pathway will provide multi-partner support for the rapid development of innovative technologies for adoption into the NHS to address unmet clinical needs. More information on the pilot is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-innovative-devices-access-pathway-idap

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence will undertake new Multi-Technology Evaluations of technologies in use and at a later stage in their lifecycle. These evaluations will enable comparisons between similar products and support the NHS to make better informed decisions on the right product for the right price.

The Department is working closely with NHS Supply Chain and NHS England to develop a consistent methodology for value-based procurement (VBP). VBP aims to shift procurement decisions away from an emphasis on reducing product costs to working with industry to consider technologies that represent a reduction in total costs within the patient pathway. Timeframes are still being determined.

The Department will consult on updating processes on applications to Part IX of the Drug Tariff to support the adoption of innovation in primary and community care.

The NHS Innovation Service is providing innovators with the resources, tools and support they need to increase the chances of getting their product or idea adopted by the NHS. More information is available at the following link:

https://innovation.nhs.uk/

We plan to assess the impact of these initiatives through the MedTech Strategy Programme governance structures.

The latest technological support for people with diabetes, the hybrid closed loop system (the ‘artificial pancreas’) is currently progressing through the final stages of a Technical Assessment by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Ensuring that these technologies can be provided on the National Health Service at a cost-effective price increases access to these technologies for all eligible people.

The latest data shows over 60% of people with Type 1 diabetes were prescribed flash glucose monitoring, against an NHS Long Term Plan target of 20%. When the programme commenced, Flash was twice more likely to be prescribed to patients living in the most affluent areas. The current ratio between most and least affluent is now down to less than 1.2 times more likely, with many areas reporting complete parity.

As of October 2022, 97% of pregnant women living with type 1 diabetes were offered continuous glucose monitoring. The latest figures indicate that there is equitable access to the technology across deciles and ethnicities in the Indices of Multiple Deprivation.

NHS England has commissioned digital support programmes for people with diabetes. People with type 1 diabetes can self-refer to ‘MyType1 Diabetes’ and people with type 2 diabetes can self-refer to the online Healthy Living Programme.

Approximately 72% of children and young people living with type 1 diabetes have registered with the Digibete app, a free online service to support children and young people to manage their type 1 diabetes.

The Spring 2023 Budget contained a package of over £400 million to support the long-term sick, and disabled. This includes approximately £200 million for digital mental health – to modernise NHS Talking Therapies services in England. NHS Talking Therapies services provide evidence-based psychological treatments for people with depression and anxiety disorders, and comorbid long-term physical health conditions such as diabetes.

Building on Type 1 Disordered Eating (T1DE) pilots the NHS Diabetes Programme approved funding for five additional T1DE sites.

Since publication of its updated process and methods for health technology evaluation in January 2022, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has applied a modifier in its evaluation of two new active substances evaluated through the single technology appraisal process. NICE has been able to recommend both technologies where a modifier has been applied, allowing the National Health Service to adopt innovative new treatments while ensuring value for the taxpayer.

The severity modifier was applied in NICE’s appraisals of regorafenib for previously treated metastatic colorectal cancer [TA866] and bulevirtide for treating chronic hepatitis D [TA896].

The Accelerating FemTech programme is led by the Health Innovation Network (HIN) South London, one of England’s 15 Academic Health Science Networks. The pilot programme is part of the Biomedical Catalyst programme commissioned by Innovate UK.

Accelerating FemTech supports innovators to boost development of technology solutions to address current challenges in women’s health. It is divided into two programmes. The first is a series of webinars and events on the FemTech challenge, which have taken place with summaries and recordings published on the HIN website. The second is a targeted 10-week accelerator programme, which started on 5 September. The programme impact will be measured and published next year by HIN.

The Department regularly meets with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to discuss a range of issues. NICE’s technology appraisal programme has been proven to be suitable for the assessment of innovative medicines and advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) where companies are able to price their products in a way that represents value to the taxpayer.

NICE has recommended several ATMPs through its technology appraisal programme that are now available to patients in the National Health Service. NICE concluded a review of its methods and processes for health technology evaluation in January 2022 and has introduced changes that ensure that its appraisal processes are suitable for emerging new medicines, including a broader severity modifier and changes to better respond to uncertainty.

The Department has not issued any such guidance. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an independent body and is responsible for the methods and processes that it uses in the development of its guidance, including the criteria used to determine whether topics should be routed to the technology appraisal or highly specialised technologies programmes. NICE made changes to its health technology evaluation manual in January 2022 following a comprehensive review of its methods and processes, including public consultation. As part of these changes, the eligibility criteria for the highly specialised technologies programme were clarified to make them clearer and more predictable.

The Government's new Medical Technology Strategy, published in February 2023, commits to ensuring the right medtech products are available at the right price and in the right place. To ensure the best value for public money, the strategy recognises that the value of medtech products should not be considered in isolation, but across the whole patient pathway, and that the lowest price does not always mean the best value. The Department’s Medtech Directorate is working closely with NHS Supply Chain and NHS England to build on the work already undertaken on the application and adoption of Value Based Procurement (VBP) to develop a consistent methodology to be adopted at both a national and local level.

The recently announced £650 million life sciences package will support the delivery of plans for accelerating the development, adoption and spread of innovation to bring new products to patients faster, in line with the Life Sciences Vision (LSV). Through the LSV, we are also advancing plans for a new regulatory pathway, which will facilitate the development and uptake of beneficial innovative technologies, and are progressing work to improve the capability to generate Real World Evidence, which will support the National Health Service in selecting products that provide positive patient outcomes.

The Government's new Medical Technology Strategy, published in February 2023, builds on the LSV to set out how the health and social care system can reliably access safe, effective and innovative medical technologies that support the continued delivery of high-quality care, outstanding patient safety and excellent patient outcomes in a way that makes the best use of taxpayer money.

Through the Medical Technology Strategy, we are working closely with NHS Supply Chain and NHS England to implement a consistent methodology for value-based procurement to be adopted at a national and local level and ultimately to provide positive patient outcomes.

The Department marked the 75th Anniversary of the National Health Service over the course of June and July, working closely with NHS England. The Department and NHS England made a number of flagship announcements, including the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan; a new national targeted lung cancer screening programme; the Government’s Mandate to NHS England; an additional one million health checks to tackle cardiovascular disease through the new NHS Digital Health Checks; and a £21 million fund for NHS trusts to bid and procure artificial intelligence diagnostic imaging tools.

In December 2022, Bolton NHS Foundation Trust published their Digital Strategy for 2022-2025, which sets out their ambition to become a 'Digital Trust' via four objectives, digital integration, digital care, digital workforce and digital infrastructure. The Strategy sets out the proposed changes to the local health and social care system and benefits to patients, the workforce and system. In 2022/23, the Department provided Royal Bolton £1.29 million to “digitise the frontline” by improving access to electronic patient record data across the NHS. £18 million has also been provided for the development of a Community Diagnostic Centre to support the creation of a digitally enabled estate.

Department officials regularly discuss a range of issues with colleagues in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and NHS England, including related to aspects of NICE’s methods for health technology evaluation.

The National Health Service in England is legally required to make funding available for treatments recommended in National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) technology appraisals, normally within three months of the publication of final guidance. Funding is available through the Cancer Drugs Fund from the point of NICE’s draft guidance for cancer medicines recommended by NICE.

The 2023/24 standard contract, which applies to all contracts between NHS commissioners and providers, also stipulates that, where any service involves or may involve the prescribing of medicines, the provider must ensure that its formulary reflects all relevant positive NICE technology appraisals and must make available to service users all relevant treatments recommended in positive NICE technology appraisals.

The Medical Technology (MedTech) Strategy, published in February 2023, aims to ensure that everyone has timely access to safe, effective and innovative medical technologies when they need it, no matter where they live in the country.

A number of initiatives are in development, including identification of technology suitable to be adopted at scale, wider multi-tech evaluations by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to identify effective technology, and expansion of outcome registries across England to improve visibility over unwarranted variation. This work will be supported by the establishment of national clinical leadership councils, to advise on the best products, and promote consistency across the National Health Service to see the best products reaching patients.

We are also promoting meaningful choice of MedTech in the community, making it easier for patients, healthcare professionals or purchasers to compare, contrast and select the most appropriate products.

The Department’s inaugural Medical Technology (Medtech) Strategy was published on 3 February 2023. The strategy identified four key priorities to achieve the vision of right product, right price, right place. The Medtech Directorate is currently working in collaboration with industry and delivery partners across the United Kingdom to determine key actions and initiatives for the four priorities of the implementation plan. We aim to publish the plan by June 2023. In parallel, the Directorate is setting up a governing board to oversee strategy implementation.

The Pay Review Body (PRB) process is the established process for determining pay uplifts for all public sector workers including National Health Service staff. We have committed to give NHS workers a pay rise for 2023/24, asking the PRBs for recommendations on pay for staff in scope. As the PRBs are independent, we cannot pre-empt their recommendations, and we will carefully consider their reports when we receive them later this year.

£2.3 billion was awarded at Spending Review 2021 to transform diagnostic services over the next three years. Most of this will help increase the number of Community Diagnostic Centres to up to 160 by March 2025, expanding and protecting elective planned diagnostic services. The remainder of the funding will increase capacity for imaging, endoscopy as well as lung and mammography screening and improve digital diagnostics.

On technology, the implementation plan for the Medtech Strategy seeks to streamline capacity for innovation adoption via an end-to-end innovation pipeline. Details will be published later this year.