Sir, In my specialty we have suffered the problems of postcode prescribing with the new, and expensive, tumour necrosis factor blockers for rheumatoid arthritis.
When criteria for use were agreed by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence we expected an end to our difficulties but, just as with the cancer network problems you report today, it was not to be. In most of southeast London and Kent we had no shortage of funding for the drugs themselves, but no money for the necessary clinical and clerical infrastructure to collate data for the British Society for Rheumatology’s Biologics Register and for patient monitoring. It seemed impossible to make the point that it is no good buying a Rolls-Royce if there is then no cash for the petrol.
However, within the last week the Department of Health has issued unequivocal guidance. Writing in response to my personal query on what the exact statutory obligation for funding was, it states that:
This should give some comfort to those whose requests for funding of much-needed support staff are being obstructed.
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Yours faithfully,
ANDREW BAMJI
(Consultant rheumatologist; Chairman, Clinical Affairs Committee, British Society for Rheumatology, 1998-2001),
Queen Mary’s Hospital,
Frognal Avenue,
Sidcup, Kent DA14 6LT.
andrewbamji@lineone.net
June 15.