NHS gets boost to fight TB

The Department of Health has announced extra help for its fight against tuberculosis (TB).

NHS commissioners were granted online access to the department’s TB Toolkit on June 15th in a bid to provide a flexible decision-making framework and models for best practice in delivering services. The toolkit also provides recommendations on laboratory services and surveillance.

In addition, the department announced that drugs used to treat TB will be supplied by clinics without prescription charges from September 1st. It is a decision which envisages early treatment with a view to stopping spread of the disease.

Chief medical officer Sir Liam Donaldson said his TB action plan for England aims to reduce TB through lessening the risk of people becoming infected.

Other long-term goals are to provide quality treatment and care for all TB patients and maintain low levels of TB which has become drug resistant.

“Among the key recommendations in the action plan was the need to ensure well-organised and coordinated patient services,” Sir Liam said.

“The toolkit . . . will provide commissioners with a framework to commission effective high-quality TB services and also recommends best practice for TB service deliverers, and [for] laboratories to continue to provide improving TB control in England,” he added.

Meanwhile, an independent NHS assessment recently recommended that the role of health visitors be strengthened.