Individual funding request
An Individual Funding Request is a procedure with the English and Welsh National Health Service for individuals who require treatments, drugs or therapies that are not normally funded.
England
Before 2013 these requests were dealt with by primary care trusts. Since that date they are now managed by clinical commissioning groups or by NHS England for specialised services which are commissioned by them.[1]
Each CCG has an Individual Funding Request Panel. Applications are made by clinicians who are asked to supply evidence of clinical need, clinical and cost effectiveness, the impact of refusal and exceptionality. This procedure cannot be used if there is likely to be a cohort of similar patients in the same or similar clinical circumstances as the requesting patient whose clinical condition means that they could make a similar request.
Requests are supposed to be dealt with within 20 days.[2]
North Kirklees and Greater Huddersfield CCGs decided in January 2017 that they would stop most individual funding requests, hoping to save £750,000 over the next 18 months.[3]
Wales
The Individual Patient Funding Request system in Wales was reformed in 2017. It will no longer be necessary to show exceptional clinical circumstances, only that a drug will bring “significant clinical benefit” and that it represents “reasonable value for money”.[4]
References
- ^ "Interim Commissioning Policy: Individual funding requests April 2013 Reference : NHSCB/CP/03" (PDF). NHS England. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 May 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Lewis, Stacie (29 April 2015). "My plea to the NHS: decide whether or not my life is worth saving, and call me". Guardian. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
- ^ "Yorkshire CCGs to stop offering individual funding requests". Healthcare Leader news. 17 January 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ "Reforms to Individual Patient Funding Request system in Wales approved". Pharmaceutical Journal. 22 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.