Accelerated Access Pathway

Last week, the Government announced a new fast-track route into the NHS for breakthrough medicines and technologies. This is good news, and will speed up the time it takes for patients to benefit from ground-breaking products for cancer and dementia among others. Known as the “accelerated access pathway”, it will be introduced in April 2018 and will ensure that products with the greatest potential to change lives could be available up to four years earlier.

 

This is good news for patients. Additionally, it will cement the UK’s position as one of the best places in the world to develop new drugs and medical technology. It will guarantee future collaboration between the life sciences sector and the NHS, and additional benefits will include the creation of new jobs.

I regularly meet the Kernow Clinical Commissioning Group, and the provision of pioneering new treatments is often a subject of much discussion. Most recently, I asked the KCCG about access to continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) for young people with diabetes. CGM measures blood glucose levels continuously throughout the day and night. It displays levels and alerts patients to “highs” and “lows”.

 

For children in particular, it is difficult to ensure that they check their blood sugar levels regularly. Additionally, I have heard various parents say that the traditional way of testing leads to a loss of sensation in the fingers. CGM allows children to go about their lives as normal, and its technology is so advanced that it can send alerts to the patient, and their parents or guardians via their mobile phones. This is reassuring for all concerned, and I am pleased that its availability is something that is being actively considered. It is something that I will continue to fight for.

 

In my weekly constituency surgery, I often meet patients with rare conditions who come to me about the provision of new treatment and technology that they believe will improve their quality of life tremendously. I welcome last week’s announcement, and I hope that it will benefit many patients here in Cornwall.