Hive Health

If you’re anything like me, you always read the Sunday magazine before the rest of the paper. Not that I don’t want to read about what’s going on the world, but most often, I only have 10 minutes to actually look at the Sunday papers!

A couple of Sundays ago, my eye was caught by the picture of Angelina Jolie on the front cover of the magazine. She’s beautiful – but more than that I thought there might be a picture of Brad Pitt inside. I was to be disappointed, but what I did find was an interesting – and disturbing – article on the “postcode lottery” pertaining to cancer treatments. I couldn’t believe this was still going on in that Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) have the authority to decide which drugs it will fund for patients in its area.

PCTs hold 80% of the total NHS budget. It is possible to challenge a PCT decision on drug funding – the patient has to demonstrate that he/she is an exceptional case, but this varies from PCT to PCT. I agree with Penny Wilson-Webb CE of the Rarer Cancers Forum that this is a “bizarre and demeaning process”. Imagine being forced to plead for your life by having to demonstrate that you are an exceptional case… what does an exceptional case look like? Is one life more valuable than another? Who decides?

It is astonishing that policies differ so much between parts of the country, and indeed, between neighbouring PCTs. But it’s not just postcodes that make this a lottery. The women featured in this article were middle class, educated; they had a voice. Who speaks for unempowered patients – those who don’t understand their choices, who have little support? A policy of one voice, one rule would solve this.

In April 2008, there was a “dramatic expansion of the patient choice initiative” in the NHS.  Patients referred to see a specialist can now choose their hospital (any that meets NHS standards). However, this doesn’t seem to cover cancer treatments. Why the lottery still?

I felt immensely for the individuals that have been affected by the decisions made by their PCTs. I also felt that doctors had in some way let down patients by not standing up to their PCTs, by not asking the difficult questions. I guess that no-one wants to put their head above the parapet and be seen to be causing a problem… or dare I say it, actually do what they believe to be right in the treatment of patients.