The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has confirmed there will not be NHS funding in England and Wales for the anti-cancer drug Avastin. It is used to combat advanced bowel cancer and research shows the drug can give an extra six weeks of life. About 6,500 people per year may be eligible for the drug. But the health watchdog argued that at a cost of nearly £21,000 per patient, the drug is just too expensive.
All new IVF treatment will stop in Surrey as the NHS tackles a deficit this year of £125m. The board of NHS Surrey met in Cobham on Friday to look at how to tackle "serious financial challenges". A spokesman said current courses of IVF would continue and women nearing 40 would still be considered, with IVF policy to be reviewed next November. NHS Surrey is also no longer funding some treatments including acupuncture and some cosmetic procedures. Treatments which would no longer be funded included male baldness, facial blushing, tattoo removal and spinal epidural injections for chronic back pain.
This article examines the implications for patient care, and for the future of rationing within the NHS, of the recent decision to permit NHS patients to supplement their care by paying for medicines — mainly expensive new cancer drugs — which are not available within the NHS. The starting point is the recommendations of the Richards' Report and their implementation through new guidance issued by the DoH and NICE. Practical challenges arise from the insistence upon the 'separate' delivery of self-funded medicines, and more flexible cost-effectiveness thresholds for end of life medicines may have repercussions for other patients. While undoubtedly part of the trend towards explicit rationing, top-up fees might also represent a significant step towards regarding the NHS as a core, basic service. Finally, the issue of top-up fees is located within the broader context of current cancer research priorities and persisting health inequalities.
GPs are considering whether to abandon their involvement in a scheme to put medical records on a computer database. BBC News understands that talks are continuing to try to make it easier for patients to opt out of the system. Thirty million people in England have already been formally contacted about the computer record. Health ministers from the coalition government insist the rollout will continue.
Aims: These guidance notes have been produced to help healthcare workers and organisations to achieve uniformly high standards in making DNAR decisions and in ensuring that all relevant aspects of these decisions are recorded and communicated to others effectively. They are not intended to be a comprehensive guide to decisions about cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Intended audience: Healthcare professionals. Publication history information: Published May 2009. Access: Available to the general public.
The NHS Constitution was published on 21 January 2009. It was one of a number of recommendations in Lord Darzi’s report ‘High Quality Care for All’ which was published on the 60th anniversary of the NHS and set out a ten-year plan to provide the highest quality of care and service for patients in England. The NHS belongs to us all. The NHS Constitution brings together in one place for the first time in the history of the NHS, what staff, patients and public can expect from the NHS. As well as capturing the purpose, principles and values of the NHS, the Constitution brings together a number of rights, pledges and responsibilities for staff and patients alike. These rights and responsibilities are the result of extensive discussions and consultations with staff, patients and public and it reflects what matters to them.