Macmillan Cancer Support Response To Gordon Brown's Speech, UK

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Also Included In: Public Health;  Pharmacy / Pharmacist
Article Date: 24 Sep 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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Responding to Gordon Brown's announcement that prescriptions charges are to be scrapped for cancer patients in England Ciaran Devane, Chief Executive at Macmillan Cancer Support said:

"We are absolutely delighted the Government has listened to us. Cancer patients in England have been struggling to pay these unfair charges for too long and it is great news that they will no longer face this added burden when they are fighting cancer.

"This must now be implemented quickly and clearly by the Government."

Please get in touch with the press office for interviews with our Chief Executive or Head of Policy.

How does the current prescription charges system affect cancer patients?

· Prescription charges are difficult for many cancer patients to afford - Nearly one in ten patients aged 55 or under who incur costs for prescription charges are unable to pay their prescriptions (according to Macmillan's 2006 Patient Survey).

· Cancer patients are heavy prescription users - cancer patients usually need multiple prescriptions to control distressing side effects from treatment, such as fatigue, nausea and vomiting, and debilitating diarrhoea. Prescription charges can also be incurred over a long time - hormonal drugs (e.g. Tamoxifen) are increasingly prescribed for five or even 10 years after curative treatment.

· Cancer patients are charged for life-saving treatment - cancer patients incur charges for urgently needed, life saving treatment, including oral chemotherapy taken at home and drugs they require as part of their life-saving cancer treatment regime - e.g. the blood thinning agent Warfarin which is sometimes taken in order to be able to receive intravenous chemotherapy.

Macmillan's UK Patient Survey found that 46% of cancer patients aged 55 and under pay prescription charges for their cancer treatment. RDSi research, UK Patient Survey, commissioned by Macmillan Cancer Relief, 2006 (unpublished). 1137 people affected by cancer were interviewed, of whom 915 were patients. Interviews took place between 29/11/05 - 22/12/05 and 3/1/06 - 22/2/06.

The revenue raised from prescription charges in England during the period April 2006 to March 2007 was £411 million. House of Commons Written Answers, 10 January 2008, Col 788W This represents a tiny fraction (0.003%) of the total NHS drugs bill (£10.3 billion in 2005/6).

Macmillan's UK Patient Survey