AQW 28791/22-27

Mrs Michelle Guy
Alliance Party
Lagan Valley

Tabled Date: 16/06/2025
Answered On Date: 04/07/2025
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health whether he will consider making chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy available through the Waiting List Reimbursement Scheme.

Answer:

The Waiting List Reimbursement Scheme is based on the Cross-Border Healthcare Directive which allowed patients to get reimbursed for healthcare treatment outside Northern Ireland and GB. The Scheme, launched 2 June 2025, applies the following strict eligibility criteria:

•Patients who are ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland; And

•Patients who are on a treatment or surgical waiting list within HSC services in Northern Ireland for 2 years or more.

Unfortunately, Car-T is a very specialist service not available in NI currently and therefore unavailable through the waiting list scheme. That said, NI patients do have access to CAR-T treatment, on an equitable basis to patients in GB, through extra contractual referral arrangements with NHS providers. This is managed through SPPG Hospital Care Directorate.