§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his letter of 30 June, regarding beta interferon, what plans he has to improve the quality of life for multiple sclerosis sufferers. [90810]
§ Mr. HuttonThe National Health Service is there to provide services for everybody on the basis of clinical need and it provides a considerable number of services to which people with Multiple Sclerosis have access. Under the present system it is, of course, for health authorities and primary care groups to plan and arrange the services available to people in their care. They are closest to the people they serve and best placed to respond sensitively to their needs.
We remain committed to improving standards of healthcare. We have set out our plans to address unacceptable variations in services via a modernisation programme to deliver more consistent and higher quality care for patients. New treatments, including new medicines, are introduced into the NHS as fast as possible where they represent a genuine therapeutic advance and are cost effective.
In addition, the move to new commissioning arrangements will bring about improvements in services for people with conditions like MS. Longer term agreements, reflecting dialogue between clinicians and focusing on health improvement and quality objectives will increase the emphasis on programmes of care that cross the traditional boundaries to meet patients' needs best.
We are likely to ask the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to prepare guidance on the place of beta interferon among the range of interventions and services available for MS sufferers.