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The President of the Committee for Home Affairs said he was “underwhelmed” by responses to his Rule 14 questions to the Committee for Health and Social Care (HSC).
Deputy Rob Prow said there was a “lack of information and clarity available” from HSC, a concern which was echoed by Health Equality for All (HEAL) in a recent open letter to islanders.
Deputy Prow submitted several questions surrounding private patient funding policies. “I asked when the relevant policy document (G1033) is going to be updated and published. The response that ‘this work is ongoing’ is simply not satisfactory,” he said.
Pictured: Committee for Home Affairs President, Deputy Rob Prow, submitted Rule 14 questions to HSC regarding its private patient charges.
Deputy Prow continued: “It cannot be right in a democratic society for the policy, which should enable patients to understand what treatments, including those in discomfort, debilitating pain, managing chronic illness or require treatment for their cancer, are available and funded.
“HSC needs to be completely transparent and the information must be made fully available in the public domain, as you find in other comparable jurisdictions"
In a recent five-page statement issued by HSC surrounding private patient funding, it said: “HSC does not seek to be opaque in its decision making, but respectfully must point out the complexity of the decisions it is mandated to make."
“The funding of medicines and medical appliances in the Bailiwick can be difficult to navigate… however, information is made available online and all Bailiwick clinicians are aware of the routes to access funding through well-established practices and patients will be advised by their clinicians accordingly.”
Pictured: Health Equality for All Chair, Mike Read, criticised HSC for charging a 25% uplift to private patients.
Deputy Prow said HSC’s charging guidelines “must be made accessible and fully transparent.”
“This is especially so, as it appears that a 25% mark-up is added to the invoicing after calculating the charges HSC makes to recover the cost of treatment,” he said.
“In a recent ‘letter to islanders’, HEAL highlighted, a particular concern that HSC’s un-published private patient charging policy has had a devastating effect on one patient. This patient has apparently been refused treatment that would have been available under the NHS in the UK. I admire the research done by HEAL and support the questions they have posed.
“HSC has a clear duty to give the public accessible guidance and information both on the NICE TA polices and the extent of HSCs private patient charges. HSC have not discharged this duty in both instances."
Pictured: The Committee for Health and Social Care issued a five-page statement in response to numerous queries from the media, HEAL and deputies.
Deputy Prow continued: “HEAL have pointed out that they believe a large percentage of islanders who are without health insurance have said the cost had stopped or delayed them accessing the healthcare they needed. This then involved them trying to borrow money or selling their homes.”
In HSC’s recent statement, it said that the 25% uplift “goes some way to compensate for the handling and overhead costs”.
“This including the time and complexity involved in sourcing, ordering, receiving, storing and checking the stock as necessary and reflects the investment by HSC in the stock of the drug, the risk of it going out of date or the patient stopping treatment,” it said.
“It does not cover the full cost of providing private treatment/services, as the costs of staff and necessary systems are not fully included in any calculation as these are in place regardless of the type of treatment being provided.”
HSC said that calculating individual costs of overheads for each individual or round of treatment would be “very resource intensive”.
Deputy Prow’s Rule 14 questions and HSC responses can be found HERE
Pictured: HSC confirmed it charges a 25% uplift to private patients, whether they are self-funding or have private health insurance.
Deputy Prow also commented on a recent open letter from HEAL.
"HEAL highlighted a particular concern that HSC's un-published private patient charging policy has had a devastating effect on one patient," said Deputy Prow.
"This patient has apparently been refused treatment that would have been available under the NHS in the UK. I admire the research done by HEAL and support the questions they have posed. They highlight, as I have done, that HSC have a clear duty to give the public accessible guidance and information both on the NICE TA polices and the extent of HSCs private patient charges.
"HSC has not discharged this duty in both instances. HEAL have pointed out that they believe a large percentage of islanders who are without health insurance have said the cost had stopped or delayed them accessing the healthcare they needed. This then involved them trying to borrow money or selling their homes."
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