Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that patients with chronic acute urinary tract infections can access appropriate treatment on the NHS.

Jane Ellison

The Department does not determine which treatments should be available for what ailments. National Health Service commissioners are responsible for making decisions on individual treatments on the basis of the available evidence, taking into account guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) where available.

NICE guidance is always evidence based, assuring us of the latest clinical thinking and research to determine the best treatment for patients.

The guidelines from NICE for urinary tract infections can be found here:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg171/chapter/1-recommendations

NHS England published new guidance on 16 November 2015 to help improve the care and experience of people with continence issues. This includes the most up to date evidence to support commissioners and providers. The guidance can be found on NHS England’s website and accessed via the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/2015/11/16/continence-care/

“