§ Mr. KidneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department(a) gives and (b) intends to give to NHS authorities to take full account of the clinical and cost effectiveness of new and current health interventions when making decisions on funding. [66741]
§ Mr. DenhamPriorities and planning guidance is issued annually to health authorities. We expect all decision makers in the National Health Service—including health authorities—to take account of clinical and cost effectiveness when making decisions on clinical care.
We are setting up the National Institute for Clinical Excellence which will, for the first time, provide the NHS with a single, coherent source for the development and dissemination of guidance about clinical and cost effectiveness.