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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| NHS to curb 'outdated' treatments | NHS to curb 'outdated' treatments |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| The NHS is to come under pressure to weed out ineffective and obsolete treatments by the drugs watchdog. | The NHS is to come under pressure to weed out ineffective and obsolete treatments by the drugs watchdog. |
| The National Institute for health and Clinical Excellence is to encourage doctors to stop using old treatments when newer ones are available. | The National Institute for health and Clinical Excellence is to encourage doctors to stop using old treatments when newer ones are available. |
| It was revealed that unnecessary tonsillectomies and hysterectomies are said to cost the NHS £21m a year. | It was revealed that unnecessary tonsillectomies and hysterectomies are said to cost the NHS £21m a year. |
| The government, which is backing the initiative, said it was not about rationing care to save money. | The government, which is backing the initiative, said it was not about rationing care to save money. |
| Health minister Andy Burnham said NHS trusts would be allowed to keep the money but said it was right to stand back to look at the whole picture. | Health minister Andy Burnham said NHS trusts would be allowed to keep the money but said it was right to stand back to look at the whole picture. |
| He added: "New drugs and treatments are continuously emerging and trusts have to make difficult decisions about how to invest funding. | |
| "NICE has an excellent track record in identifying and recommending the most effective new treatments for widespread use in the NHS. | "NICE has an excellent track record in identifying and recommending the most effective new treatments for widespread use in the NHS. |
| "But we need to ensure that we balance this with better advice on unnecessary and ineffective interventions that can be stopped." | "But we need to ensure that we balance this with better advice on unnecessary and ineffective interventions that can be stopped." |
| Struggle | |
| England's Chief Medical Officer Liam Donaldson, who has raised the issue of unnecessary operations before, said: "As technology advances to expand the range of possible health interventions, it is important that effective therapies to address significant health problems are adopted and that ineffective treatments are abandoned. | England's Chief Medical Officer Liam Donaldson, who has raised the issue of unnecessary operations before, said: "As technology advances to expand the range of possible health interventions, it is important that effective therapies to address significant health problems are adopted and that ineffective treatments are abandoned. |
| "NICE's new work programme will support this vital process by providing an objective assessment of the evidence." | "NICE's new work programme will support this vital process by providing an objective assessment of the evidence." |
| NICE has so far struggled to offer advice on old treatments because of the backlog of new treatments to evaluate. | |
| But the NHS advisory body said it has got to grips with the backlog by introducing a fast-track appraisal scheme, allowing it to turn its attention to existing treatments. | |
| NICE said it would be using three techniques to encourage the NHS to cutback on some drugs and technologies. | |
| First, it may make use of its existing guidance process to advise the NHS when not to use treatments if new, better therapies are available. | |
| NICE is also planning to issue reminders about previous guidance to enable doctors and managers to catch up. | |
| A reminder is already planned on home haemodialysis, which if made available to all the patients who wanted would save the NHS £9.7m a year. | |
| Finally, guides will be produced for managers to set benchmarks for treatments in certain areas. | |
| Several are already planned covering diabetes and respiratory disease. |