MPs find NHS bodies still blocking treatments
pharmafile | June 25, 2012 | News story | Sales and Marketing | CCGs, MPs, NHS, NICE, PCTs, Pfizer, viagra
The Labour party has uncovered new restrictions to treatments and drugs in the NHS, which it says is hurting patients in England.
This is according to a new survey undertaken by Labour’s Shadow Health Team, which looked at restrictions being made by all Primary Care Trust clusters (PCTs) and Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) in England.
The survey shows that 125 separate treatments, previously provided free by the NHS, have been restricted or stopped altogether by NHS bodies in the last two years.
It said the restrictions deviate from NICE’s guidelines and also found that 22 treatments or services were stopped altogether by at least one PCT/CCG.
These restrictions include drugs for erectile dysfunction such as Pfizer’s Viagra, certain diagnostic tools such as the dilation curettage tool for Menorrhagia, and knee and hip operations.
Much of this has been going on for many years, but the new QIPP agenda – which reported its first year’s results last week – was suppose to stop the ‘slash and burn’ tactics of cutting drugs and procedures.
But the government needs to make £20 billion in efficiency savings by 2015, is putting many PCTs – and their successors the CCG – under increasing pressure.
“The crude, random rationing by health bodies goes far wider and deeper than first believed,” the Team said.
Last week health minister Simon Burns responded to concerns over rationing, and said the government would not stand for restrictions coming from the need to save costs.
“Last year we made it clear that it is unacceptable for the NHS to impose blanket bans for treatment on the basis of costs,” Burns said. “If local health bodies stop patients from having treatments on the basis of cost alone, we will take action against them.”
Need for a public debate on rationing
Labour is now calling on ministers to start an immediate review of rationing in the NHS, and to act on these restrictions that are coming as a result of PCTs and CCGs looking to cut costs.
It is also calling for the “immediate reversal of rationing decisions that leave patients in severe pain, restrict mobility, limit their ability to live independently or have a major psychological impact,” pending the outcome of a review.
For all other treatments, Labour believes the government should initiate a public debate on whether or not they should be provided nationally by the NHS, rather than allowing them to be restricted ad hoc.
Ben Adams
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