Excess Treatment Costs
When a research study is testing new treatment or new interventions, they may generate Excess Treatment Costs.
Treatment Costs are the care costs that would continue to be incurred if the patient care service in question continued to be provided following the end of the research study. The difference between the Treatment Costs and the costs of the existing standard treatment is referred to as the Excess Treatment Cost (ETC).
Occasionally the new or experimental treatment is cheaper than normal treatment. In this case there is a saving in terms of treatment costs.
The definitions of the various costs associated with research are outlined in the Department of Health and Social Care AcoRD guidelines.
Applying for Excess Treatment Costs
The Research Delivery Network and its local networks manage the Excess Treatment Cost budget on behalf of ICBs. The Research Delivery Network replaced the Clinical Research Network (CRN) on 1 October 2024.
You apply for Excess Treatment Costs via the online Schedule of Events Cost Attribution Tool (SoECAT) which is validated by an AcoRD specialist.
The SoECAT tool is used to outline study activities and the associated attribution under AcoRD principles.
The single point of access for processing new Excess Treatment Cost requests is via the NIHR online SoECAT tool.
Research team support
We can provide support to calculate Excess Treatment Costs for your project and completion of the SoECAT. We can also provide support navigating the online system for applying for Excess Treatment Cost which happens via the Central Portfolio Management System.
Key points of the new process for Excess Treatment Costs
- All new applications for ETCs are made via the online SoECAT tool.
- High cost ETCs will be assessed by an additional panel.
- ETCs are flow-through payments managed by the RDN and are triggered by study recruitment being reported to the Central Portfolio Management System.
Contact us
If you are a researcher in need of support around Excess Treatment Costs, please get in touch. Our Research Team is happy to help.
Email: bnssg.research@nhs.net