Select a region
The intermediary between healthcare and the public is still seeking feedback from anyone who has accessed any of the hundreds of new drugs and treatments which were introduced locally in the past few years.
The Committee for Health & Social Care is in the advance stages of a review into NICE TA drugs, which were introduced in January 2020 following political pressure from States members.
These include emerging treatments and solutions for patients which can be funded and delivered at speed and scale, with many available through the NHS.
Around 3,000 people were estimated to be in line to benefit from a broad introduction which were previously only available to those with medical insurance or substantial personal funds.
But funding was only agreed for two years with HSC now considering how cash is supplied going forward based on prioritisation and demand.
Mike Read, Vice Chair of CareWatch, says this amounts to “examining what level of access will you and your family get to the best drugs and treatments going forward.
“We know hundreds of new drugs and treatments have been introduced potentially benefitting thousands of local patients. The expectation was that these new drugs would significantly improve outcomes, reducing unpleasant side effects, improve and extend the quality of life for a huge range of patients suffering from serious conditions."
Pictured: The States are likely to consider the NICE TAs scheme later this year.
The cost rose from £1.2m for the first year to around £3.5m in 2022.
This year was forecast to cost £5m, with Health President Deputy Al Brouard warning that despite the costs not matching predications the figures would continue to rise year-on-year depleting the cash reserve without an agreed long-term funding mechanism.
Hopes for an ambitious service matching the access available to UK residents would need to be balanced with funding considerations that need to be actioned by politicians, he added.
It’s expected that HSC will publish its review into the implementation and future funding of the drugs and treatments imminently along with recommendations.
It should include the number of beneficiaries to the scheme, the impacts, benefits, drawbacks, and costs.
The first stage was undertaken by the independent Solutions for Public Health scrutinising the clinical and financial elements, with CareWatch seeking the second qualitative set of data from the community.
“Without clear evidence of these real life lived patient experiences the focus of some will be solely the cost without regard for the positive impact on patients and their families lives, and consequential economic and community pay back,” Mr Read said.
Negative feedback to show where improvements are required are also welcomed, he added, with all submission to be anonymised.
The panel can be contacted through https://www.carewatch.org.gg/contact-us, at mp.read@cwgsy.net, or via your GP, specialist nurse, consultant, support group or charitable organisation.
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.