Derek Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Thomas on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce regional variation of access to (a) minimally invasive technology and (b) drug eluting stents designed to tackle peripheral arterial disease.
George Freeman
Vascular services manage the treatment and care of patients with diseases related to disorders of the arteries, veins and lymphatic system. These can be managed by medical therapy, minimally-invasive catheter procedures and surgical reconstruction. NHS England commissions these services as part of its specialised commissioning portfolio.
The vascular disease specialised commissioning clinical reference group has prepared a service specification for specialised vascular services. This aims to ensure that services deliver improved patient experience, provide equality of access to the full range of vascular diagnostics and interventions, and ensue that patients are receiving a high quality of service, with access to the most modern techniques.
Implementation of the service specification for specialised vascular services through the local service review processes is designed to reduce regional variation.
The service specification can be found at:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/a04-spec-vascu-adult.pdf
The Government has made no assessment of the effects of drug eluting stents on lower limb amputation rates.
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