Funding high cost drugs

Interim Cancer Drugs Fund

NHS Yorkshire and the Humber has been given £5.3m by the Government to set up a regional cancer drugs fund to improve access for patients.

In addition to the cancer drugs which are already available, a list of other cancer drugs, which are not currently available will be drawn up by a group of doctors in the region.

To view the full policy document please click here

For more information and the application form for doctors please click here 

NHS Leeds policy on commissioning drugs

NHS Leeds routinely commissions drugs approved by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) through their technology appraisal process. NHS Leeds routinely commissions drugs approved by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC). NHS Leeds also routinely commissions drugs where NICE has produced a consultation appraisal that supports use in the NHS.

NHS Leeds will not routinely commission drugs where NICE or SMC have rejected their use or where NICE has produced a consultation appraisal that rejects use in the NHS.

Where there is a conflict of advice between NICE and SMC, NICE guidance (including consultation appraisal) takes precedent.
NHS Leeds commissioning statements are the same as the guidance issued by NICE or SMC and are available at www.nice.org.uk or www.scottishmedicines.org.uk

NHS Leeds will develop its own commissioning statements for drugs not covered by NICE/SMC/tariff. Where appropriate this will be done collaboratively through the Yorkshire and Humber Specialised Commissioning Group.

An individual funding request (IFR) may be submitted for a patient who is felt to be an exception to the commissioning statements of NHS Leeds.

An individual funding request for non NICE/ non SMC/ non tariff use of a drug must demonstrate:

• that the patient is significantly different to the general population of patients with the condition in question; and
• that the patient is likely to gain significantly more benefit from the intervention than might be normally expected for patients with that condition.

NHS Leeds accepts there are clinical situations that are unique (five or fewer patients) where an IFR is appropriate and exceptionality may be difficult to demonstrate.

Unless approved by NICE/SMC, in year introduction of a drug (where a drug trial is completed or licence granted) does not mean NHS Leeds will commission the use of this drug. An individual funding request is not an appropriate mechanism to introduce a new treatment for a group or cohort of patients. Where treatment is for a cohort larger than five patients, a proposal to develop the service, that is the introduction of a new drug, should go through the usual business planning process.

Related pages on this site

Commissioning StatementsThis section provides details on how NHS Leeds commissions (funds) treatments not routinely offered on the NHS. includes information on individual funding requests.Yorkshire & Humber Specialised Commissioning GroupWhat are specialised services, what is the Yorkshire and Humber Specialised Commissioning Group, copies of the policiesIndividual Funding RequestsThis section provides details on how NHS Leeds commissions (funds) treatments not routinely offered on the NHS. includes information on individual funding requests.Interventional proceduresThis page provides details on how NHS Leeds commissions (funds) interventional procedures and what our criteria is.

Related sites

NHS Yorkshire and the Humber Specialised Commissioning Group - interim cancer drugs fund

Related downloads

Drugs commissioning statement.xls (0.04 MB)

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