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WORST WAIT FOR CANCER SUFFERERS
Patients in need of ‘wonder drugs’ face months of delays
CANCER patients with rare forms of the disease are being denied crucial treatment because hospitals fear they will be fined for using expensive drugs.
Concerns were raised after a report revealed Camden is the worst area in the country for the time patients can expect to wait to discover whether their treatment will be paid for.
An investigation by the charity Rarer Cancers Forum said Camden’s Primary Care Trust was flouting strict government guidelines to reach a decision on “exceptional” treatments within 12 weeks.
It also found that Camden has the fifth highest rejection rate for “wonder drugs” – treatments that have been recommended by doctors but the NHS is still considering whether they offer value for money.
Bill Morgan, a spokesman for the Forum, said: “Three months for cancer patients is totally unacceptable. Hospital consultants often push ahead with treatment while a decision is pending. We are talking about cancer. Often there is no time to wait around.”He added: “Camden PCT is the only Trust in the country to operate a fining system where hospitals, the providers of the treatment, are charged if a consultants’ application for exceptional treatment is rejected after it has begun. We believe that this is unacceptable as it provides a clear disincentive for consultants to recommend appropriate treatment.”
Former Health Secretary Frank Dobson MP said: “I don’t see why Camden should be slower than anyone else in coming to decisions. The PCT is only obliged to provide drugs approved by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE). Of course, this whole problem would disappear if the drugs companies brought their prices down.”
Almost half of all cancers can be classified as “rare”, either because it affects an unusual part of the body, or because the cancer itself is of an unusual type, is difficult to diagnose, or requires special treatment.
Camden’s Independent Treatment Panel is made up of three board members and a finance representative. The panel, which meets once a month, takes decisions based on NICE guidance, patients’ condition and cost.
The charity’s report added: “Ministers have made clear in Parliament that the time taken to make a decision on whether to fund treatment should be included in the new maximum waiting time of 31 days for all cancer treatments. Yet, under Camden PCT’s approach, it would be impossible for this commitment to be met.”
Labour councillor Jonathan Simpson said: “I will definitely be writing to the Secretary of State about this. The Primary Care Trust cannot be under-performing government guidelines to this extent. It is setting a bad example and is in danger of losing its credibility entirely.”
Dr Peter Butler, president of the NHS Consultants’ Association, said the system was better before the balance of power was shifted from the hospital to Primary Care Trusts.
He said: “Hospitals had their own budget and could make their own decisions about what treatment to purchase. I think I speak for most consultants when I say we would much rather not have that split between purchaser and provider.”
The report also named Camden PCT as the having sixth-highest rejection rate in the country when it comes to applications for special cancer drugs. Eleven of 16 applications in 2006/07 were turned down. Nevertheless, Camden PCT spends £10,539 on each cancer patient, which is above the national average of £8,437.
A PCT spokeswoman said its panel took decision on a wide range of conditions and critically ill patients were unlikely to wait the full 12 weeks.
She said: “It would be very rare for someone to have to wait for 12 weeks, although the policy does allow for this if the case was extremely complex.
“If the treatment was extremely urgent we would also have a policy to deal with this rapidly. Alternatively, the treating Trust can initiate the treatment at risk.” |
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