PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Prescription Drugs (20 October 2014)

We are committed to ensuring National Health Service patients have access to effective medicines on terms that represent value to the NHS and taxpayers and that patients, are supported to get the best outcomes from their medicines.

The Department, in collaboration with NHS England, has recently commissioned an independent evaluation of Innovation Health and Wealth. Jointly led by the University of Manchester and RAND Europe, The first initial phase is now underway, the study is expected to take three years to complete.

In addition, NHS England, with the Health and Social Care Information Centre publishes an innovation scorecard which represents the rate of uptake and utility of medicines in both primary and secondary care, on a regular basis. This publication sets out levels of uptake and utility for National Institute for Health and Care Excellence appraised medicines and technologies, and evidence suggests that steady growth is being achieved and the most recent information is available at:

www.hscic.gov.uk/searchcatalogue?productid=15598&q=innovation+scorecard&sort=Relevance&size=10&page=1#top

Earlier this year, NHS England also undertook an extensive consultation to ‘refresh’ the Innovation Health and Wealth policy framework and we understand that recommendations from this will be included in NHS England's five year Forward Look.