Issue - meetings

Julia Ross, Director of Civic Engagement West Kent Primary Care Trust will be in attendance for this item.

(Item 5 – Julia Ross, Director of Civic Engagement West Kent Primary Care Trust was in attendance for this item)

(1)    The Committee had before them the proposals (tabled at the meeting) for a review process around Commissioning Homeopathy.  The Committee noted that, in 2006, the South West Kent and Maidstone Weald PCTs had undertaken a formal turnaround process.  The nature of turnaround was such that every possible area of savings – both efficiency improvements and the review of service provision – had to be considered.

(2)    The Turnaround Plan had identified a number of service areas for review – of which one was homeopathy.  The Primary Care Trusts had initially proposed to direct all referrals for homeopathic therapy through a Treatment Panel, so that each case could be considered on the basis of clinical need before the referral went ahead.  This proposal, however, had caused concern among some stakeholders and it had, therefore, been agreed to conduct a review of the demand for homeopathic services and the cost-benefit of such treatment.  The Committee noted that the Tunbridge Wells Homeopathic Hospital was one of only five such hospitals run by the NHS. 

(3)    Mrs Ross stated that the review was not about closing the Homeopathic Hospital, it was about reviewing and establishing the demand for homeopathic services and whether the cost-benefit of such treatments was appropriate for provision from NHS funds.  The review process would include four distinct stages:-

1.      a review of existing activity and spending on homeopathic services;

2.      an external review and evaluation of the evidence for homeopathy;

3.      a discussion phase, where both reviews were shared and discussed amongst the stakeholders, options presented and developed, and decision-making criteria agreed in conjunction with the PCT Board; and

4.      the decision-making process, where the PCT Board would apply weight, and score by the agreed criteria.

(4)    The Committee noted that a reference group of key stakeholders had been established and that Paul Wickenden was the representative for the NHS Overview and Scrutiny Committee on this reference group.  The first meeting of the reference group was to take place on 13th February 2007.

(5)    Mrs Ross said that the review might come up with a range of options.  She hoped that a decision by the PCT Board would be taken in April.  The issues around the homeopathy review were particularly sensitive. There were polarised opinions as to both the effectiveness of treatments and the use of NHS funding for providing the service.

(6)    The Committee noted that there were 400 referrals to the Homeopathic Hospital from West Kent PCT each year. This was a very small part of the commissioning done by the PCT, but it was important that the PCT looked at every service that it commissioned.

(7)    The Committee noted that the reference group included individuals who came from both sides of the debate on homeopathy, in order to ensure balance.

RESOLVED that the position be noted