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House of Commons-Hansard Debates Nov. 4th 08- NHS Patients (Access to Medicines)
7 pm
The Secretary of State for Health (Alan Johnson): With permission, Mr. Speaker, I should like to make a statement about Professor Mike Richards’s review of current policy concerning NHS patients who wish to pay for additional private drugs.
I start by paying tribute to Professor Richards and his review team for the diligence with which they have conducted this review. The report is informed by evidence from thousands of patients, carers and clinicians across the country, and it was completed with necessary urgency but without in any way compromising its thoroughness. The time scales that I set were deliberately challenging, because this issue is causing great concern and distress to a number of patients and their families.
The review’s terms of reference were to examine current policy relating to patients who choose to pay privately for drugs that are recommended by their clinician but not funded by the NHS and who, as a result, are required to pay for the NHS care that they would otherwise have received free of charge. I also asked Professor Richards to make recommendations on whether policy or guidance could be clarified or improved.