MS Society response to Lord Darzi review
30 Jun 2008
The outcome of a 12 month review of the NHS has today been published by health minister Lord Darzi.
The report talks of an NHS that “empowers patients” through care that is “high quality and personal”.
The piloting of personalised budgets in healthcare, following successes in social care, has been announced as part of the review.
The MS Society is a key stakeholder in the review process and multiple sclerosis (MS) has been named as a condition that would benefit from personal healthcare budgets.
Simon Gillespie, Chief Executive of the MS Society, said: “The emphasis on personal budgets and patient empowerment means this report represents a great opportunity to give people with MS access to the care they need when they need it and in the most appropriate way.
“MS is a fluctuating and complex condition and people’s needs change from week to week. Putting people at the heart of planning and delivery of their own healthcare should lead to a better quality of life overall and encourage greater independence, as we have seen when personalised social care has worked.
“The extension of personal budgets must not, however, be seen as an end in itself. This is a necessary step in the process of giving people with disabilities maximum control over their lives, and over the care and support they need.”
The Government has also laid out plans to speed up the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) drug delivery process.
The MS Society has twice challenged NICE over its assessment of MS drugs, first over the beta interferons and glatiramer acetate and last year over natalizumab (known as Tysabri). In the first case, the Department of Health set up a risk sharing scheme to make the drugs available outside of the NICE framework. In the second case, NICE revised its opinion on appeal.
Simon added: “This is good news for people with conditions like MS, who are keen to see effective new treatments made available as quickly as possible.
“The MS Society has had several encounters with NICE over MS drugs and while it’s right that the NHS keeps a close eye on costs, two years is far too long to wait if you have an incurable condition and can see yourself getting worse.
“There are still issues that NICE needs to address – the lack of transparency in their methods, the significant number of drugs that haven’t been assessed – but this is definitely a step in the right direction.”
The piloting of personalised budgets in healthcare, following successes in social care, has been announced as part of the review.
The MS Society is a key stakeholder in the review process and multiple sclerosis (MS) has been named as a condition that would benefit from personal healthcare budgets.
Simon Gillespie, Chief Executive of the MS Society, said: “The emphasis on personal budgets and patient empowerment means this report represents a great opportunity to give people with MS access to the care they need when they need it and in the most appropriate way.
“MS is a fluctuating and complex condition and people’s needs change from week to week. Putting people at the heart of planning and delivery of their own healthcare should lead to a better quality of life overall and encourage greater independence, as we have seen when personalised social care has worked.
“The extension of personal budgets must not, however, be seen as an end in itself. This is a necessary step in the process of giving people with disabilities maximum control over their lives, and over the care and support they need.”
The Government has also laid out plans to speed up the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) drug delivery process.
The MS Society has twice challenged NICE over its assessment of MS drugs, first over the beta interferons and glatiramer acetate and last year over natalizumab (known as Tysabri). In the first case, the Department of Health set up a risk sharing scheme to make the drugs available outside of the NICE framework. In the second case, NICE revised its opinion on appeal.
Simon added: “This is good news for people with conditions like MS, who are keen to see effective new treatments made available as quickly as possible.
“The MS Society has had several encounters with NICE over MS drugs and while it’s right that the NHS keeps a close eye on costs, two years is far too long to wait if you have an incurable condition and can see yourself getting worse.
“There are still issues that NICE needs to address – the lack of transparency in their methods, the significant number of drugs that haven’t been assessed – but this is definitely a step in the right direction.”
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