Hello everyone on the forums
If you are concerned about the issue of co-payments can I ask you to read our open letter below.
Consequences of Paying for Additional Private Drugs for NHS Care: An open letter from Breast Cancer Care
How can Breast Cancer Care ensure that we reflect the views of people living with, and affected by, breast cancer as well as ensuring that any policy introduced by the Government does not widen inequality of access to drug treatments?
You may have heard that the Government is, rightly in our view, taking a long hard look at whether it is acceptable for people to ‘top up’ their NHS care by paying privately for drugs not routinely available on the NHS. Under current practice, people who wish to pay for a drug in this way are then usually expected to pay for the whole of their treatment privately.
Breast Cancer Care would like to see this resolved because we feel it is unacceptable that patients are having to fight for drugs when they are already unwell. This can place enormous anxiety on families who feel that newer treatments are being placed beyond reach at what already is a very stressful time. We are also very concerned that there is a ‘post-code lottery’ where top ups are being allowed in some parts of the country and in some parts of the healthcare system and not in others.
The rising cost of targeted cancer treatments is a major challenge for the NHS and many patients and their families tell us that in such difficult situations they will of course do all they can to access the clinical care they have been told they could benefit from. This is completely understandable.
However, concerns have been raised that if a co-payment system were introduced greater inequalities will develop in access to health care and health outcomes, with some treatments only available to those able to pay or able to raise the money, perhaps only by placing themselves and their families in severe financial difficulties. Our vision is that everyone with breast cancer gets the best treatment, information and support whenever they need it. Co-payments go against the principles of free healthcare for all, regardless of ability to pay, which as a charity we support as one of the ways of achieving our vision.
The Government’s review of its position on top ups is an important opportunity for people affected by breast cancer to influence policy on this issue. You can feed your views in to this review by going to
zapsurvey.com/Survey.aspx?id=3050fa7a-2413-46bc-bbe0-002c96b451cf
and completing the questionnaire the results of which Breast Cancer Care will submit directly to the Government. Or you can email the Department of Health direct at: <script type=“text/javascript”>eval(unescape(‘%64%6f%63%75%6d%65%6e%74%2e%77%72%69%74%65%28%27%3c%61%20%68%72%65%66%3d%22%6d%61%69%6c%74%6f%3a%61%64%64%69%74%69%6f%6e%61%6c%64%72%75%67%73%72%65%76%69%65%77%40%64%68%2e%67%73%69%2e%67%6f%76%2e%75%6b%22%3e%61%64%64%69%74%69%6f%6e%61%6c%64%72%75%67%73%72%65%76%69%65%77%40%64%68%2e%67%73%69%2e%67%6f%76%2e%75%6b%3c%2f%61%3e%27%29%3b’))</script>
We are aware that some of you are already debating this issue on our discussion forums. This thread has been created to highlight this issue further. This debate will inform and, we hope, deepen our thinking on this issue. We will take into account views expressed on our forums in our own submission to the Department of Health. We will ensure that any material drawn from on-line debates is done so anonymously and comments will not be attributed to individuals (as set out in our discussion forum terms and conditions). We will submit our response to the Department of Health in mid-September, if anyone would like to receive a copy of this submission, please contact our User Involvement Facilitator, Vicky Lane, at <script type=“text/javascript”>eval(unescape(‘%64%6f%63%75%6d%65%6e%74%2e%77%72%69%74%65%28%27%3c%61%20%68%72%65%66%3d%22%6d%61%69%6c%74%6f%3a%76%69%63%6b%79%6c%61%40%62%72%65%61%73%74%63%61%6e%63%65%72%63%61%72%65%2e%6f%72%67%2e%75%6b%22%3e%76%69%63%6b%79%6c%61%40%62%72%65%61%73%74%63%61%6e%63%65%72%63%61%72%65%2e%6f%72%67%2e%75%6b%3c%2f%61%3e%27%29%3b’))</script>
If you would like to read a sample of press articles on this issue, please follow the links here:
Financial Times
BBC
We look forward to engaging further with you about this issue.
Policy and Campaigns Team, Breast Cancer Care
August 2008