Lib Dems Call for NICE to be made Independent

12.10.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Sun 13th Jan 2008

Patients should feel they are getting the drugs they are entitled to

A report by the health select committee has recently said drug rationing is essential in the NHS and ministers should back the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) which plays the key role in deciding which ones are worthwhile.

The report recommends that all drugs should be given a rapid appraisal by NICE at the time of launch. Those that clearly work well enough and are cheap enough would be provided by the NHS straight away. More expensive medicines would have to go through a full appraisal which could take more than a year.

Sandra Gidley MP comments "Whenever ministers meddle with NICE it destroys public confidence in the system as a whole. We must restore people's trust so that patients feel they are getting the drugs they are entitled to. The real solution is to make NICE an independent body - so that decisions are taken according to what's best for patients not politicians. The process must be completely transparent."