Oral Answers to Questions

Andrew Turner Excerpts

Tuesday 25th February 2014 Commons Chamber

[Norman Lamb]

For a start, we now have 15,000 more clinicians working on the front line than when this Government came into office in 2010. Also, in the reforms that the hon. Lady mentions, we legislated for parity of esteem so that mental health is treated equally with physical health. However, I have accepted her case and agree that the situation is intolerable. We have to make sure that beds for children and young people are available when they are needed.

[Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight) (Con)]

7. What proportion of medicines prescribed in the NHS are alternative medicines; and what the annual cost is of dispensing such prescriptions.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Jane Ellison)]

The net ingredient cost to the NHS of homeopathic preparations dispensed in the community in England was £143,000 in 2012, which represents 0.002% of the overall NHS prescription cost in the community for the same period. The prescription cost analysis data from which we extract this information do not separately identify other alternative medicines.

[Mr Turner]

I thank the Minister for that answer. At the urging of Councillor John Nicholson, Isle of Wight council has asked the health and wellbeing board to recognise the value of alternative and complementary therapies and elect a representative to the board. Will the Minister and her Department work with that representative to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of such treatments?

[Jane Ellison]

I am aware that there has been interest in this matter in my hon. Friend’s clinical commissioning group. The provision of alternative and complementary therapies is decided by CCGs, which have to take into account National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance and local health needs and priorities. The responsibility is with CCGs to achieve value for money and to make sure that they are delivering improvements in the quality of care and patient outcomes, and it is against those standards that we would expect them to measure those therapies.