Emma Hardy, the MP for Hull West and Hessle, today called for funds to be increased for the NHS to provide more therapeutic care.
Emma made the request after being contacted by a number of constituents who have been prescribed Intravenous Infusions by their Clinical Pain Management Consultants. This treatment was prescribed because it is the most effective treatment for their chronic pain management.
East Riding of Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group have informed these patients that the Funding Request Panel has found that there is now a lack of clinical evidence to support the use of this treatment and it will be immediately adjusted and withdrawn over the next twelve months.
Without this treatment, the constituents would be living in constant pain which effects the whole of their life. Their everyday activities would be seriously curtailed and simple tasks like sitting or sleeping would become intolerable causing them extreme distress.
Although Intravenous Infusion is not normally funded as a matter of course by East Riding of Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group these patients have been receiving this treatment for several years because it has been accepted that they have exceptional clinical circumstances that justify them getting funding.
As part of the regular review of this funding these patients, through their specialist Pain Management Consultants, have had to provide a supporting management plan to the Individual Funding Request Panel explaining why their exceptional clinical circumstances merits them receiving funding to carry on with the Intravenous Infusion.
Emma is specifically querying why the Funding Request Panel have previously accepted the supporting management plans submitted by the patient’s health care professionals. Yet on this occasion they have stated that the supporting management plans, prepared by the same health care professionals, does not justify these patients getting funding for ongoing treatment.
Emma said: “I am very concerned about why so many patients are now having this treatment withdrawn and the repercussions it has on their quality of life, and I intend to query in Parliament this change in attitude to funding by NHS England with a view to getting an explanation as to the reasoning behind their rationale.
“As well as raising this issue of why this group of patients should suddenly not become eligible for previously funded treatment in Parliament, I will be writing to The East Riding of Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group and NHS England about these constituents individually. The Government needs to let us have a debate on CCG Funding so that we can talk about how these cases are funding nationwide and that’s what I asked them for today. The response I received from the Minister showed no compassion and was just a series of figures but my constituents should rest assured that I’ll keep pushing the government on this until the issue has been resolved.”