§ Lord Roberts of Conwy asked Her Majesty's Government:
§ Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 12 March (WA 62–63), which National Health Service bodies in England have decided in favour of using anti-TNF therapy without waiting for the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to complete its appraisal. [HL1300]
§ Lord Hunt of Kings HeathThis information is not held centrally.
The Department of Health issued Health Service Circular 1999/176 in August 1999. Copies are available in the Library. This asks National Health Service bodies to continue with local arrangements for the managed introduction of new technologies where guidance from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence is not available at the time the technology first becomes available. These arrangements should involve an assessment of all available evidence.