High Cost Drugs – England
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NICE raises cost-effectiveness threshold for the first time in 26 years
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- Collect AWMSG and NICE criteria evidence directly from clinicians across all 7 Health Boards
- Using Auto-Approval, ensure Clinicians receive approval to treat immediately — average 5–10 minutes
- Keep a complete audit trail: cross-border Wales/England treatments fully tracked
- Validate/Challenge provider invoices including cross-border providers
Introduction
Paperless Solution - For Hospitals AND GP Practices
Getting rid of paper forms to collect evidence of NICE criteria being followed not only streamlines the process for the commissioner, it also gives the clinician a transparent view of the process on their screens. Crucially, Blueteq covers both hospital prescribers and GP practices: the system automatically routes each request to the correct commissioner based on the patient's registered practice. With the multitude of different commissioners across England, the system effortlessly guides each user to the correct form to complete.
Shared Care & Primary Care Prescribing Fully Supported
High-cost drug prescribing in England is not confined to hospital specialists. Under shared care agreements, GPs routinely prescribe biologics, immunosuppressants, and specialist medicines initiated by secondary care. Under primary care initiation models — such as inclisiran (Leqvio®) for cardiovascular disease, which GPs can initiate and administer directly — GPs are the lead prescriber. Blueteq is built for this multi-setting reality. The BMA confirms that shared care prescribing is voluntary for GPs; Blueteq gives those who accept it the governance infrastructure to prescribe safely and receive prompt reimbursement. GPs who are in any doubt about eligibility criteria have the same instant, form-based guidance as their hospital colleagues.
Request History & Document Storage
The Blueteq High Cost / PBRE Drugs system provides a complete patient history storing and displaying all information and documentation in one place in a paperless environment. No filing is required and all vital data is immediately to hand. E-mails can be sent directly from the system, including attachments, to further facilitate processing. The system provides a full patient history on a single screen with all associated documentation and notes immediately to hand.
Customised Reporting
A full range of reports are available on demand to help prioritise workloads, ensure that all requests are processed in a timely manner and within the target timescales, and that all follow-up actions are captured. Reports span both secondary care Trust prescribing and primary care GP prescribing, giving ICBs a complete picture of HCD spend across their whole health economy.
Without Blueteq
Paper proformas pile up — in hospitals AND GP surgeries. Clinicians complete forms that arrive by post, get lost, or sit in inboxes for days — creating delays in treatment and governance risk. This applies equally in hospital and in GP practice: under shared care agreements and primary care initiation models such as inclisiran, GPs are active high-cost drug prescribers who need the same governance infrastructure as hospital specialists.
No real-time financial data — and invoice leakage. You know what you approved. You don’t know what was actually prescribed, or whether treatment continued. Blueteq customers routinely identify discrepancies. Without it, that money is silently lost.
NICE compliance assumed, not evidenced. The statutory 90-day funding mandate requires demonstrable compliance. “We think our Trusts are following NICE guidance” is not sufficient when challenged by NHS England or during audit.
Invoice disputes without evidence — significant overpayment risk. Without a prescribing record linking patient, approval, and drug, challenging incorrect provider invoices is nearly impossible. Blueteq customers save on invoice values through discrepancy detection and match invoices to requests in minutes, saving up to a day of staff time per cycle.
For Commissioners / Stakeholders
- Save on invoice values through discrepancy detection
- Reduce unnecessary spending via eligibility gate-keeping
- Maximise budget impact on patient care
- Match invoices to requests in minutes
- Combined clinical + financial data in one secure system
- Advanced reporting drives quality improvements
For Hospitals / Providers
- Treatments guaranteed to align with commissioning criteria
- Prompt payment ensured for all authorised requests
- Simplified submissions through one unified platform
- Precise eligibility forms based on each patient's criteria
- Full visibility of request status and historical data
- Track and improve patient outcomes with built-in reporting
"Improved implementation of Blueteq led to improved speed of access for patients, improved awareness of NICE Technology Appraisals and the processing of a historic backlog of 1,600 patients."
Direct
Savings on invoice values
Direct
Reduction in unnecessary spend
5-10
Minutes average form completion
90
Days: NICE compliance mandate
WHY CHOOSE US
Unique Benefits Summary: High Cost Drugs - England
- Highlight discrepancies – a direct financial return
- Reduce unnecessary spending through rigorous eligibility gate-keeping at every prescribing decision
- Maximise the budget's impact on patient care by eliminating waste and directing savings to the front line
- Match invoices to requests in minutes — saving up to a day in staff time per invoice cycle
- Streamline workflows for faster, more reliable approvals — average form completion just 5–10 minutes
- Enhance transparency: combined clinical and financial data in one secure, auditable system
- Drive quality improvements through advanced reporting capabilities — on-demand reports in minutes, not hours
- Guarantee treatments align with commissioning criteria — clinicians receive precise, patient-specific eligibility forms
- Ensure prompt payment for authorised requests — automatic invoice matching removes dispute delays
- Simplify request submissions through a unified platform: no paper, no lost forms, no chasing approvals
- Gain complete visibility into request statuses and review historical patient data on a single screen
- Use outcome-focused reports to track and improve patient outcomes across all specialties
- Covers GP prescribing too: shared care agreements and primary care initiation models (e.g. inclisiran) fully supported
- Automatically routes each request to the correct commissioner based on the patient's registered GP practice
- GPs who accept shared care responsibility get instant form-based eligibility guidance and prompt reimbursement
- No expensive initial licence fees — simple, predictable subscription basis
UK-Based. Employee-Owned. Independently Governed.
Blueteq is an employee-owned company headquartered in Havant, Hampshire. All data is held on Blueteq’s own UK infrastructure, subject to UK law and governance. There are no external shareholders, no overseas parent company, and no venture capital or private equity interests.
