Study finds Knowsley spends most for cancer treatment in west London
Studies found that the residents of the metropolitan borough of Knowsley, spend the most in the cancer treatment. Knowsley is known to spend two-and-a-half times as much battling the illness as Ealing in west London.
The differences have been revealed in an analysis of spending patterns across the country. They show how unequal the National Health Service, which was set up to provide care according to need, has become in reality. Wide variations in the amounts spent on various diseases from primary care trusts’ £69bn budget, which accounts for three quarters of the total NHS budget, suggest a “postcode lottery” operates similar to that for expensive drugs.
Professor Appleby, whose analysis of Department of Health spending data, Local Variations in NHS Spending Priorities, is published today, said the huge variations in spending had not improved since the last such study three years ago. They remained even after differences in local needs were taken into account.
The biggest gap is in mental health, with a 3.4-folddifference between high- spending Islington, north London, (£332 a head) and West Kent (£98).
However, Knowsley’s high spending may not necessarily translate into a lower death rate. Figures published by Cancer Research UK in June showed that the north of England had overall a 20 per cent higher death rate from cancer than the south. The Liberal Democrats’ health spokesman, Norman Lamb, said:
“This analysis points to an unacceptable postcode lottery of care, with PCTs totally unaccountable to the communities they serve for these funding decisions.”
Source: The Independent
Filed under Cancer
