§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) which primary care trusts have taken steps to ensure that the services recommended by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence in the guidelines on the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in primary and secondary care are provided to patients in their area; and if he will make a statement; [176550]
(2) what progress has been made in the implementation of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidelines on the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in primary and secondary care since the guidelines were published; and if he will make a statement; [176551]
(3) what steps he will take to ensure primary care trusts implement National Institute for Clinical Excellence recommendations within a three-month period; and if he will make a statement. [176552]
§ Dr. Ladyman[holding answers 7 June 2004]: Information is not available centrally on the steps taken by individual primary care trusts to implement the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guideline.
The Healthcare Commission will inspect against healthcare standards. The healthcare standards were published on 10 February 2004 and were out for consultation until 4 May. NICE guidance features at two places within the standards. Within the core standards (under clinical and cost effectiveness, NICE appraisals are included; and under the developmental standards, NICE clinical guidelines are shown. The developmental standards are aspirational and for the NHS to implement over a longer period of time.
National health service bodies are under a statutory obligation to provide funding for drugs and treatments recommended in NICE technology appraisal guidance within three months of publication. This obligation does not apply to the clinical guideline on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.