tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7462652546051300479.post292024926587444151..comments2024-02-13T00:08:04.640+00:00Comments on NHS Vault: Conservative Draft Manifesto 2010: Dissection Part 9richard.bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10589364986804437392noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7462652546051300479.post-56383116678718438292010-09-04T14:02:27.725+01:002010-09-04T14:02:27.725+01:00Stephen, thanks, and thanks for your LFF post too....Stephen, thanks, and thanks for your LFF post too. <br /><br />The Conservative government's plans for a "cancer fund" is what the Lancet describes as "the product of political opportunism and intellectual incoherence":<br /><br />http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2810%2961202-0/fulltext<br /><br />The thrust of the argument is that it will be exactly the same as we have now. NICE will decide what treatments actually do provide an improvement in quality of life. At the moment if you demand that you should get that treatment then you will appeal to your PCT. Under this government's plans you will appeal to your SHA (or when they are abolished, whatever quango Lansley will create to handle this fund). The point is that there will still be a limit to how much money is available, a clinical board will still make a decision and when the money is spent, there will be no more money available.<br /><br />Significantly, at the moment your GP is your friend because their judgement is made purely on clinical grounds. But under Lansley's plans, GPs will have to "align clinical decisions with the financial consequences". Will you feel confident going to a SHA board knowing that your only clinical advocate already makes decisions about your treatment on purely financial grounds? GPs are not happy about this, and Lansley would be wise to listen very carefully about their concerns.richard.bloggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10589364986804437392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7462652546051300479.post-47050773571030104232010-09-04T10:03:44.614+01:002010-09-04T10:03:44.614+01:00Hi Richard. I read your comment on my Avastin arti...Hi Richard. I read your comment on my Avastin article over on Left Foot Forward. I see you covered much of this story very well before me.<br /><br />You may also be interested in my older article on 'Patient Access Schemes' (such as that for Lucentis)-- which look set to be a huge fiasco and potential political timebomb about the time of the next election.<br /><br />http://www.leftfootforward.org/2010/07/will-the-coalitions-cancer-drugs-policies-work/Stephen Hendersonhttp://www.mendeley.com/profiles/stephen-henderson/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7462652546051300479.post-386186208047550112010-01-23T12:45:06.281+00:002010-01-23T12:45:06.281+00:00Excellent analysis. Please keep up the good work o...Excellent analysis. Please keep up the good work on this blog, it is one of the best and most thoughtful I have ever come across.Peter Knoreply@blogger.com