As many of you probably know, there was a law passed yesterday that means that PCT's are being abolished and GP's will have more of a say in how funding is used. So where does this leave people who are applying for Xolair/sub-cut etc? Will they still have to go through the GP or consultant or is it a case of GP deciding who chooses who gets what drug? And will consultants have more of a say?
It's all very confusing!
Vicky x
The way I understand it is groups of GPs will replace what are currently commissioners at PCTs and each area will have its own group of almost GP commissioners. So instead of a decision being made by a pct panel which is made up of a number of people from lay people like me and you to people employed by PCTs and the like it would go the the GP panel. This doesn't replace consultant based decisions on treatments and certainly doesn't mean any random GP can decide somebody should have xolair/subcut. They are highly specialised therapies and it wouldn't be sensible for those sorts of decisions to be made in primary care without specialist supervision.
Don't get me started... >
Pretty much what Hanson said, but also to add that the CCGs (Clinical Commissoning Groups) are not only comprised of GPs, but also hospital consultants, nurses, and lay people.
So would GP's and consultants have the power to dictate where the funding for things like xolair/subcut go? Cause surely that would create bias towards that drs patients?
I think you're missing something - not all GPs will be involved with commissioning, only a select few. This new bill doesn't give each and every GP the power to say yes or no to drugs. If you take a primary care trust, the GP practices in that trust will be split into clusters and then there will be commissioning groups of people as Cathbear mentioned for each cluster. Bringing back the post code lottery etc. it is entirely possible a GP could have a say over which patient gets what drug but you have to remember they aren't soley responsible for that decision. So in answer to your question - theoretically yes but in reality more likely not. There also isn't ear marked funding for things like xolair and subcut. It is done on a case by case basis - that's the whole point of making a funding request in the first place.
USB sticks and asthma thought!
Tonsils and adenoids
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