NHS funding squeeze ‘is limiting availability of certain treatments’

The lack of resources available to the NHS is resulting in access to certain treatments becoming rationed, according to a new report.

Analysis from the British Medical Journal has revealed a significant increase in the number of exceptional funding requests that doctors in England are having to make on behalf of their patients, due to the fact that standard funding is no longer readily available.

The overall number of individual funding requests received by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in England has increased by 47 percent in the past four years, with a 20 percent rise seen in the last year alone.

These requests are being submitted for treatments such as cataract removal, hip and knee replacements, and mental health interventions, all of which were once considered routine, but are now becoming difficult to access.

Just over half of the requests made in 2016-17 were approved, but even for those patients who were granted access to treatment, the wait was often prolonged, which resulted in additional stress and pain.

Julie Wood, chief executive of NHS Clinical Commissioners, said: "Unfortunately, the NHS does not have unlimited resources, and ensuring that patients get high-quality care against a backdrop of spiralling demand and increasing financial pressures is one of the biggest issues CCGs face."

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