What work has the Cabinet Secretary done to improve the availability of drugs for Welsh NHS patients?
All medicines recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) or the All-Wales Medicines Strategy Group (AWMSG) are routinely available in Wales, where clinically appropriate.
The Welsh Government’s New Treatment Fund, which was introduced in 2016, has improved access to new treatments approved by NICE and AWMSG. On average they are available just 16 days after approval.
While medicines supply is devolved, the UK Government takes the lead role managing medicines shortages, to ensure NHS patients across the UK have equity of access to medicines. To provide the public with timely advice about medicines shortages, the Welsh Government has created a dedicated webpage: Medicines shortages | GOV.WALES.