Author Topic: UK: Too old to get lifesaving drugs: Anger at plan to deny treatment if you've had a 'fair innings'  (Read 921 times)

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Offline mountaineer

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Too old to get lifesaving drugs: Anger at plan to deny treatment if you've had a 'fair innings'

Plans would consider 'wider societal benefits' when giving out medicines
NHS body fears the proposals would mean the young are a 'higher priority'
Prompted fears the elderly are receieving a worse deal from health service
Doctors, MPs and campaigners condemned the plans as ‘barking mad’


By Jenny Hope and Daniel Martin
PUBLISHED: 17:55 EST, 17 February 2014  | UPDATED: 17:55 EST, 17 February 2014

Patients who have had a ‘fair innings’ could be denied life-saving drugs under  proposed health reforms.

The plans would mean experts taking into account whether there  is a ‘wider societal benefit’ to giving a patient crucial medicines.

The NHS rationing body, Nice, fears the Department of Health proposals could see younger people deemed a higher priority for drug treatments because they have more years ahead of them – potentially contributing more to the economy – than the elderly.

Doctors, MPs and campaigners last night condemned the plans as ‘barking mad’.

The move will also fuel fears that the elderly are receiving a worse deal from the health service than the young.

Cancer charities have already warned that ‘cruel restrictions’ mean older patients have been denied medical treatment, regardless of a proper assessment of their fitness levels and how likely they could  benefit from treatment.

Sir Andrew Dillon, the head of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, said he was concerned about the new rules and feared they would lead to older patients being penalised in a ‘hard-nosed’ and ‘crude’ economic approach.

The reforms, which are being consulted on, would see new drugs assessed for the first time based partly on whether they would benefit society as a whole – not just the patient. For example, a drug that helped people to live longer in an expensive care home, or on welfare, might have a ‘negative’ social value not outweighed by the benefit to the individual, because such patients take more from society than they can put back.

Sir Andrew said: ‘There are lots of people who adopt the fair-innings approach: “You’ve had 70 years of life – you’ve got to accept society is going to bias its investments in younger people.” There are people who subscribe to that, but it’s not something we feel comfortable with.’

He said an initial assessment by Nice suggested that accounting for ‘wider societal benefit’ would inevitably tilt funding away from the old because younger patients had more to gain from treatment and more to give back.

He added: ‘We’re really concerned that we don’t send out a message that we value life less when you’re 70 than when you’re 20.’  ...


Read the rest at Daily Mail (U.K.)
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Offline truth_seeker

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Haven't we been led to believe they ALREADY had "death panels" over there?
"God must love the common man, he made so many of them.�  Abe Lincoln

Offline mountaineer

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They already ration care, apparently.
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Offline EC

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First I have heard about it.

Two parents in their 80's. Dad, being the youngest of 7. They need treatment, they get treatment. Promptly.

It is wise not to believe all you read, especially not from the Daily Fail.
« Last Edit: February 18, 2014, 01:26:29 pm by EC »
The universe doesn't hate you. Unless your name is Tsutomu Yamaguchi

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Offline mountaineer

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Duly noted.  ^-^
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Offline happyg

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I find them credible, particularly when they write about US politics.

Quote
Awards

Received

The Daily Mail has been awarded the National Newspaper of the Year in 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003 and 2012 by the British Press Awards[59]

The Daily Mail journalists have won a range of British Press Awards, including:
"Campaign of the Year" (Murder of Stephen Lawrence, 2012)
"Website of the Year" (Mail Online, 2012)
"News Team of the Year" (Daily Mail, 2012)
"Critic of the Year" (Quentin Letts, 2010)[60]
"Political Journalist of the Year" (Quentin Letts, 2009)
"Specialist Journalist of the Year" (Stephen Wright, 2009)[61]
"Showbiz Reporter of the Year" (Benn Todd, 2012)
"Feature Writer of the Year - Popular" (David Jones, 2012)
"Columnist of the Year - Popular" (Craig Brown, 2012)
"Best of Humour" - (Craig Brown, 2012)
"Columnist - Popular" (Craig Brown, 2012)
"Sports Reporter of the Year" (Jeff Powell, 2005)
"Sports Photographer of the Year" (Mike Egerton, 2012; Andy Hooper, 2010, 2008)

Other awards include:
"Orwell Prize" (Toby Harnden, 2012)
"Hugh Cudlipp Award" (2012; Stephen Wright/Richard Pendlebury, 2009; 2007

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daily_Mail#Awards

Offline happyg

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From the Guardian:

NHS rationing is putting health at risk, says doctors' leader

Mark Porter, the new British Medical Association's chair of council, says cuts and rationing of drugs may harm patients

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2012/aug/31/nhs-rationing-risking-lives-doctors-leader


Offline EC

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I find them credible, particularly when they write about US politics.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daily_Mail#Awards

I'd not consider Newspaper of the Year a very credible certification. The Sun, that tabloid legendary for the page 3 girls and terrible puns as headlines, has also won it a few times.  :laugh:

It's like all media - know the bias and consider the story accordingly. They do do a good job on US stories, I will give them that, though they are not above agenda setting Glendas and some out and out plagiarism from time to time.
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