Lancashire’s five primary care trusts are asking the public for their views about a new set of ‘principles’ that will be used to decide the way they prioritise treatments in the future.
The principles – a set of criteria that will be used to decide which treatments the NHS should fund – have been developed by GPs, hospital doctors and public health experts across the county.
They are being presented to Local Involvement Networks (LINks) – independent groups that influence local health services – and other patient groups during March so that people can have their say about what’s proposed.
The principles will be used to make decisions about funding treatments based on whether:
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there is clinical evidence to prove they are effective in treating the condition
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they are cost effective and offer value for money
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they are ethical, ie treatment is offered fairly and according to need.
Following feedback from patients, a final set of principles will go to the five PCT boards for approval in May.
The principles will be used to update existing commissioning policies for treatments defined as being of lower priority because clinical evidence shows they are of limited effectiveness. These policies focus on procedures that PCTs do not routinely fund or where particular criteria must be met.
The first 13 policies will go to the five PCTs’ board meetings in May. A further 41 policies are being reviewed, and these will go to the five PCT boards later in the year.
The review aims to:
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standardise commissioning policies across Lancashire so that patients will have the same access to treatment no matter where they live
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update commissioning policies for conditions where more modern and effective treatments may be available or where there is no medical need
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make best use of resources by ensuring that the NHS only commissions treatments that are effective, evidence based and achieve the best outcomes for patients.
Speaking on behalf of the five Lancashire PCTs, Dr Jim Gardner, Medical Director for North Lancashire PCT, said: “We welcome the input of patients and the public in developing a set of principles which can be used to inform decision making.
“Reviewing commissioning policies is nothing new, but this will be the first time we have done so across the whole of Lancashire and it will mean patients have consistent access to treatment, regardless of which PCT area they live in.
“We have to make sure we are spending public money wisely and this means that when making decisions about which treatments to fund, we work to a set of principles that are based on national guidance and best clinical practice. We look forward to hearing patients’ views about this piece of work.”
