No patients should lose their entitlement to NHS care they would have otherwise received, simply because they opt to purchase additional care for their condition, say new DH guidelines.
Improving access to medicines for NHS patients provides new guidance on how to proceed in situations where NHS patients want to buy additional secondary care services the NHS does not fund.
It has been published in response to a review conducted by National Clinical Director for Cancer, Professor Mike Richards, which found existing guidance was being interpreted differently in different places. Many patients, the review showed, were not clear whether they would still be entitled to NHS care if they purchased additional private drugs.
Richards suggested revised guidance would promote greater consistency across the NHS in England and sets out mechanisms to ensure cases are handled in a way that supports good clinical practice and is fully consistent with the fundamental principles of the NHS.
In a final DH consultation, the SoR has been asked to comment on the whether the new guidance is clear and consistant.
Please send your comments to professional officer, Charlotte Beardmore by 1 December.
