Blueteq Brief
Regional HCD Pages
-
All Briefs
-
Blueteq Brief - England
-
Blueteq Brief - Wales
-
Blueteq Brief - Scotland
-
Blueteq Brief - Jersey
-
Blueteq Brief - Guernsey
-
Blueteq Brief - Northern Ireland
-
Blueteq Brief - Republic of Ireland
NATIONAL ROLLOUT COMPLETE — NHS Wales
AWTTC completed Phase II national rollout across all seven NHS Wales Health Boards in April 2025.
ENGAGEMENT IN PROGRESS
A well tried system which saves money, reduces workload, speeds prescription approval and provides instant audit reports.
NHS Structural Policy — Health Bill
Abolishing NHS England. The Health Bill was introduced to the House of Commons on 14 May 2026. It proposes to abolish NHS England and transfer the bulk of its functions to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and to Integrated Care Boards.3 ICBs will become strategic commissioners of almost all services, including […]
Health Bill — Committee Stage Under Way
The Health Bill passed its second reading in the House of Commons on 1 June 2026. The Public Bill Committee held its first oral evidence sessions on 16 June 2026 and began line-by-line scrutiny the same day, with the Committee expected to report by 5pm on 16 July 2026. The Bill remains controversial: the Health […]
NICE raises cost-effectiveness threshold for the first time in 26 years
NICE QALY threshold increase — in effect from April 2026 From April 2026, NICE’s cost-effectiveness threshold has risen from £20,000–£30,000 to £25,000–£35,000 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained. This is the first increase in the threshold since NICE was established. The change was linked to the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal and forms part of a […]
NHS Structural Policy — Health Bill
Abolishing NHS England. The Health Bill was introduced to the House of Commons on 14 May 2026. It proposes to abolish NHS England and transfer the bulk of its functions to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and to Integrated Care Boards.3 ICBs will become strategic commissioners of almost all services, including […]
Health Bill — Committee Stage Under Way
The Health Bill passed its second reading in the House of Commons on 1 June 2026. The Public Bill Committee held its first oral evidence sessions on 16 June 2026 and began line-by-line scrutiny the same day, with the Committee expected to report by 5pm on 16 July 2026. The Bill remains controversial: the Health […]
NATIONAL ROLLOUT COMPLETE — NHS Wales
AWTTC completed Phase II national rollout across all seven NHS Wales Health Boards in April 2025.
SMC Decisions — 8 June 2026
The Scottish Medicines Consortium published advice on seven medicines on 8 June 2026: Blueteq comment: June SMC announcements make a substantial addition to NHS Scotland’s managed medicines portfolio. References 1. Media release: SMC decisions June 2026. Healthcare Improvement Scotland. 8 June 2026. https://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.scot/publications/media-release-smc-decisions-june-2026/ 2. Scotland Backs Bispecific Antibody for Refractory Myeloma. Medscape. 10 June 2026. […]
ENGAGEMENT IN PROGRESS
A well tried system which saves money, reduces workload, speeds prescription approval and provides instant audit reports.
SMC Decisions — 11 May 2026
The Scottish Medicines Consortium published advice on five medicines on 11 May 2026. Four were accepted: 1. SMC decisions May 2026 — media release. Healthcare Improvement Scotland. 11 May 2026. https://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.scot/publications/media-release-smc-decisions-may-2026/ 2. SMC Update — May 2026 (budesonide/Kinpeygo detail). Prescribing Advice for GPs / Prescriber.org.uk. May 2026. https://www.prescriber.org.uk/2026/05/smc-update-may-2026/
CHANNEL ISLANDS OPPORTUNITY — Jersey Health and Community Services
Governance that prevents recurrence: every high-cost prescription requires documented eligibility confirmation before treatment.
DoH NI MEDICINES ACCESS REVIEW — RECOMMENDATION 2
The DoH NI Medicines Access Review (2025) specifically names the Blueteq HCD system as the recommended replacement for cost-per-case commissioning.
Medicines Access Review — Implementation
No formal announcement of progress against the ten recommendations of the 2025 Medicines Access Review has been published during May 2026. DoH NI Consultations A DoH NI consultation opened on 11 May 2026 relating to proposed changes to UK-wide medicines legislation governing the definition of gene therapies, led by the MHRA. This is not directly […]
Access Reform Debate
An Irish Times opinion piece in early April 2026, written in response to the NCPE’s rejection of omaveloxolone (Skyclarys®) for Friedreich’s ataxia in Ireland, articulated the tension in the reimbursement system: that cost-effectiveness judgements exist to protect population health, not simply to contain spending. The NCPE concluded there was a zero per cent chance of […]
NCPE Director Questions Value of Early Access Proposals
In a separate RTÉ interview broadcast 21 June 2026, NCPE Director Professor Michael Barry questioned proposals for earlier access to new medicines ahead of full reimbursement assessment. He noted that for several rare disease drugs assessed this year, none had demonstrated an overall survival benefit, and argued that early access without a negotiated price reduction […]
Minister Signs Off End-to-End Review of Drug Approval System
Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill announced on RTÉ’s Prime Time, broadcast 11 June 2026, that she has signed off the tender for an end-to-end review of Ireland’s system for approving access to and funding for new drugs and medical treatments. The Minister said she approved the tender details the previous week and that the […]
617-DAY ACCESS GAP — BLUETEQ CLOSES THE FINAL PHASE
New market opportunity for HSE: a single national platform for all Managed Access Protocols.
