A new report by the Rarer Cancers Forum reveals there is a postcode lottery with regards to patients’ chances of having an exceptional request for cancer treatment approved.
• 5,000 patients have been forced to demonstrate their “exceptionality” in the past 20 months, in order to receive cancer treatments not recommended by the NICE. 1,300 had their requests rejected.
• There were huge variations between PCTs’ processes in deciding on “exceptional cases”, with some areas approving all requests, and some approving none at all.
• There was a lack of understanding among PCTs of the rules surrounding exceptional cases.
The report, Taking Exception, recommended that national guidance should be published informing PCTs how they should process exceptional cases, so that there is greater consistency across the country. It also said a target should be set for PCTs to process exceptional case applications quickly. In addition, NICE’s appraisal process should be improved to minimise the number of patients needing to make an exceptional funding request.
