2:12pm Thursday 5th July 2007
By Rebecca Lowe
Barnet homeopathy patients are planning to 'go to war' with Barnet health bosses over a decision to stop routine funding of new referrals for homeopathy treatment.
At a packed board meeting on Thursday, the Primary Care Trust (PCT) announced that routine funding would stop from August 1, 2007, and funding for routine follow-up appointments would cease six months later. After these dates, all requests for funding homeopathic treatment would be considered on an individual basis' by the PCT.
Finchley resident Pam Kish, 52, suffers from breast cancer and chronic fatigue syndrome, and has been taking homeopathic medicine since 2002.
She said: "It was a kangaroo court and it's disgraceful they can get away with it. These are public servants who are here to help us.
"We are going to have to go to war and we shouldn't have to do that as ill patients."
Doctor Saul Berkovitz, of the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital (RLHH), said: "The board has taken a premature, deeply unpopular and non- cost effective decision about its commissioning of services at the RLHH."
In addition to a petition with 800 signatures, RLHH claims that 120 case studies of Barnet residents treated at the hospital were also submitted to the PCT, along with a number of letters from Barnet GPs who refer patients, and 70 letters from patients themselves. To date, 186 MPs, including Finchley MP Rudi Vis and Hendon MP Andrew Dismore, have signed a motion in support of homeopathic treatment.
The PCT argues that limited public health funds should only be used on clinically effective remedies. It states it made its decision after consulting clinicians at the RHLL and chairing two meetings attended by patients.
A spokesperson for the PCT said: "The PCT made this decision after considering that the evidence for the effectiveness of homeopathic treatment for a number of conditions was absent or weak.
However, there was some evidence that homeopathy could be effective in certain circumstances. The PCT therefore considers it appropriate to look at cases on an individual basis."
Some 67 per cent of Barnet GPs refer patients to the RLHH, which has been operating since 1947.
However, the results of a survey of all PCTs in England, as reported in the Times on May 23, showed that 86 out of 147 trusts had now stopped routine funding of homeopathy and a further 40 had yet to respond at the time of publication.
Nonetheless, Dr Berkovitz believes that the obligation to provide evidence for a specific treatment before consultation will result in a drastic reduction in referrals'. He also points out that homeopathic referrals represent a tiny portion' of Barnet's financial budget, at 0.04 per cent, and that it would be more financially viable for the NHS to keep treatments available.
He said: "Sending them back to their GPs for treatment, which will be the effect of the PCT's decision, will clearly cost the NHS more money than it will save."
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