Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2017 to Question 66178, what budget has been allocated to Individual Funding Requests in each of the last five years.
Answered by David Mowat
There is no specific budget allocated to Individual Funding Requests (IFRs). Approved IFRs are funded through the specialised commissioning budget allocation.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many Individual Funding Requests (IFRs) have been considered by (a) the IFR Screening Group and (b) the IFR Panel in each of the last five years; how many of those IFRs have been approved; and what the total cost of those procedures was.
Answered by David Mowat
The following table sets out the number of Individual Funding Requests (IFRs) considered and approved in the last five years.
| 2013/14 | 2014/15 | 2015/16 | 2016/17* | Total |
Decisions made at IFR Screening Group | 1,493 | 953 | 633 | 345 | 3,424 |
Decisions made at IFR Panel | 428 | 402 | 300 | 80 | 1,210 |
Approved IFRs | 256 | 249 | 179 | 29 | 713 |
*based on the period from April to November 2016
It should be noted that all IFRs considered at the IFR panel will have previously been considered at a screening panel.
The cost of procedures approved through the IFR process is not routinely collected nationally.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken to ensure improved outcomes for patients who undergo stem cell transplantation in the last five years.
Answered by Jane Ellison
The number of patients receiving potentially life-saving stem cell transplants in the United Kingdom continues to increase. The availability of suitably matched donors is a key factor in determining the outcome of stem cell transplantation. The Government has invested £16 million to improve stem cell transplantation services in the UK since 2010 with a further £3 million funding available for the current financial year. This funding has seen more efficient service delivery though the creation of a single unified bone marrow donor registry, more UK patients receiving a stem cell transplant (increasing from 802 in 2010/11 to 1060 in 2013/14) and over 60% of Black, Asian and minority ethnic patients finding a well matched donor compared to only 40% in 2010.
Further improvements include NHS Blood and Transplant introducing next generation sequencing technology that is quicker and more accurate in matching donor and patient and delivering improved clinical outcomes. Research is an important part of improving patient outcomes and the National Institute for Health Research Clinical Trials Network supports clinical trials on the development of novel treatment for patients with blood cancer.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will review his current policy on prescription charging for patients with long-term health conditions.
Answered by Alistair Burt
There are no plans to change the existing list of medical conditions which provide eligibility to exemption from the prescription charge.
Other extensive exemption arrangements are in place, in England, based on age and income, to support those who cannot afford to pay for their prescriptions. Additionally, for those who need multiple prescriptions and do not qualify for exemption, Prescription Prepayment Certificates (PPC) can be purchased, which allow someone to claim as many prescriptions as needed. A 12 month PPC costs £104 and benefits anyone who needs 13 or more prescriptions a year.
Around 90% of prescription items are dispensed without a charge, a further 5% against PPCs and 5% are paid for at the point of dispensing.