There is a big debate raging in Wales about the Cancer Drugs Fund available in England. This fund enables patients in England to access drugs that would not otherwise have been routinely available from the NHS. Many in Wales now demand the same thing. Scotland also does not have such a fund, though I do not know what the state of the debate there is.
This morning there was a phone-in on BBC Radio Wales about this. It is of course very emotive. The debate often manifests itself as a simple question "if I lived in England drug X would be available to me but because I live in Wales it is not - this is unfair." This seems to me to be one of those classic debates where, very understandably, the answer seems so simple but if you examine things in a little more depth, it isn't.
The Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) in England is both managed and funded by NHS England. So it seems like another way of saying, OK, under certain circumstances, we will also pay for drugs that we don't normally pay for. The site says "There is a single, national list of drugs and indications that the CDF will routinely fund and standard operating procedures for administration of the fund." It does not seem to me like a way of giving access to wonder-drugs (which, unfortunately, hardly ever exist anyway) but more a way of slightly extending the range of drugs available through NHS England under certain circumstances etc. So, although highly emotive, it is only a very small part of a much larger picture. For example, would it make more sense to put the money into more radiography machines instead, to reduce waiting times, rather than into a drugs fund?
Anyway, I could not resist calling into Good Morning Wales, where I am known a little bit from previous discussions around the EU.
I made a few points which were basically about the need to get a more holistic picture and how putting the issue into a European context can help. For example, UK cancer survival rates are below the EU average, but Wales appears to be slightly better than England. Figures may be slightly dated at 2009 but see page 27 here: http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/prod_consump/groups/cr_common/@nre/@pol/documents/generalcontent/cr_071282.pdf
Also, it is possible, subject to several conditions, to receive treatment in other EU countries, not just different parts of the UK. See http://www.nhsdirect.wales.nhs.uk/travelhealth/FundingOptions/
This is a complex issue, but I am beginning to wonder whether the CDF isn't partly a political stunt. What would be more helpful would be a more holistic approach - and a more holistic debate. Rising rates of cancer are not, as is commonly assumed, merely a result of us living longer. They are largely also caused by environmental and lifestyle factors. Here's another interesting little fact - the UK is now officially the most obese country in Europe, and there is a known link between obesity and cancer, not to mention a host of other diseases. Rather than focus on drugs funds, maybe we should think about what the food industry is getting away with....
In the unlikely event that you should wish to subject yourself to my oral as well as written rantings, you can catch the programme on BBC Player, with my star turn at around 53 minutes:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05xhyws
Thanks all, take care.
