A new survey has found that four in five adults want the NHS to offer levels of access to treatment at least comparable with other countries. Half believe the NHS should be a world leader in the treatments available to patients and should pay for all treatments regardless of how much they cost, going beyond international standard practice
The findings increase the pressure on the Government to make clear its plans for the Cancer Drugs Fund, as the current arrangements are due to come to an end in early 2014. Since its introduction, the Cancer Drugs Fund has enabled more than 30,000 patients to access medicines that would otherwise be unobtainable[1]. It has been estimated that 16,000 patients a year would be denied access to cancer medicines without the Cancer Drugs Fund[2].
Key findings from the survey include:
· Half (50%) say that the NHS should be a world leader in the treatments available for patients and should pay for all treatments, regardless of how much they costs and a further two in five (39%) say that the NHS should pay for treatments that are available in other countries, ensuring that patients in the UK are not worse off than those in other countries
· One in five (20%) say that the NHS should give greater priority to treating patients who have severe illnesses, including those with terminal illnesses
· Just 5% believe that the NHS should only pay for treatments up to a certain maximum price
· More than four in five British adults (83%) believe that decisions about which treatments are paid for by the NHS should be made at a national level
The findings are in stark contrast to evidence on the usage of medicines which shows that – at least up until the introduction of the Cancer Drugs Fund – the UK was a very low user of modern cancer treatments in comparison to other countries[3], even though many of them were developed in the UK.
Commenting on the findings Mark Flannagan, Chief Executive of Beating Bowel Cancer, said:
“The Government gave a pledge that if your doctor thinks that you should have a cancer drug that will help you to live a longer and better life you should get that drug. The Cancer Drugs Fund has given better access to vital medicines and improved outcomes for thousands of patients. With it due to end, we fear that patients’ lives will be put at risk. We simply can’t go backwards to a time when cancer patients had to beg for life-extending treatment.”
Dr Rob Glynne-Jones, consultant clinical oncologist & Macmillan lead clinician in gastro-intestinal cancer, Mount Vernon Cancer Centre says:
"Cancer is a complex and devastating disease. In the past patients and the public were anxious they wouldn't have access to treatment, but the Cancer Drugs Fund has made it possible for patients to receive the best possible treatments for their cancer - and I can do the job I trained for. We simply cannot afford to turn the clock back now."
[1] House of Lords Hansard, 18 July 2013, Col. WA145
[2] Rarer Cancers Foundation, There when you need it the most? The Cancer Drugs Fund: 2011-12 annual report, August 2012