This is, of course, the 64,000 dollar question (or one of them). As new treatments are discovered then I would assume that it would be for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) or a similar body to advise on whether they should be adopted but once the Government of the day has accepted or rejected a NICE recommendation it would be for them to fund it appropriately across the country. Once adopted, however, it should be available to everyone regardless of where they live in England and Wales (NICE does not serve Scotland or Northern Ireland).sejintenej wrote: ↑Sat Dec 14, 2019 11:52 am As for the list of services; where do you draw a line? some might say no more transplants, some may say no treatments devised after 1st January 2019; the entire concept is a minefield. New conditions are constantly being "discovered" and large sums set aside for research. New methods of treatment are being devised for long understood conditions (such as keyhole surgery)....... I don't have an answer and I suspect that the courts might start ordering treatments not otherwise available.
Stop cosmetic treatments? big problem there - think of severely injured burns patients - when do you stop trying to make them look normal? What about those otherwise normal people who decide that their nose shape is making them mentally ill unless it is reshaped?
By limiting cosmetic treatments to those that are medically essential I would definitely include burns victims and anyone with clear clinical needs: cleft palates, severe disfigurement, post-operative damage, breast reduction etc. I would also include things like excess skin removal for those that have lost vast amounts of weight as I believe in rewarding people who do something positive. What I would not include is tattoo removal, rhinoplasty, breast augmentation etc just because the patient was claiming that his or her mental health was adversely affected. It may not be the case in reality but it does seem (to me) that the moment an individual plays the mental health card then too many GPs and even psychiatrists are prepared to 'go along' with it. Mental illness is not a badge of honour nor is it an excuse for bad behaviour or an easy way of getting something wanted but not needed. Mental illness is like physical illness; most people don't suffer from it most of the time but when it rears its ugly head it needs to be taken seriously and treated appropriately.