3. Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services: Progress on the New Treatment Fund

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:20 pm on 23 January 2018.

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Photo of Vaughan Gething Vaughan Gething Labour 3:20, 23 January 2018

Thank you for the series of points and questions. I'll try to be as brief as possible, including those points that I think I've tried to answer in previous questions. 

I welcome the recognition of all three other parties in the Chamber that the new treatment fund has delivered a significant improvement in access. It was in the first six months that the average time was 17 days—just to point out, in the second six months, that it's come down to 10 days on average for new treatments to be made available. 

As I said to Angela Burns, with the 82 medicines that have been made available with the new treatment fund coming into being, we think that benefits around 4,000 patients, and I also pointed out in response to Rhun ap Iorwerth that this is really about understanding the challenge that we knew existed within the first 12 months of planning for and delivering new medicines, and, thereafter, health boards have actually got a much better track record of managing within their resource budget for drugs. 

I also made it clear in my response to Angela Burns—at least I tried to—that horizon scanning has improved and the ABPI's statement itself has recognised that, and that's work to continue building on as well; I don't think that's simply a done deal. I also made it clear to Rhun ap Iorwerth that Health Technology Wales is there to help us in understanding how we take advantage of new non-medicines treatment as well. 

But, in terms of your point about compliance, there's a monthly monitoring system. My officials, together with the All Wales Therapeutics & Toxicology Centre, monitor how quickly health boards are putting new treatments on to their form, which will make them available for clinicians to prescribe. That's an area that we'll continue to look at to see if that compliance is being maintained throughout the fund. That's a very clear expectation that I have and the Government has of the new treatment fund—it's not just here to deliver in its first year, but to deliver throughout the term of this Government.