Unfortunately our CCG (solihull & Birmingham) still won’t consider - so I’m putting pressure on my MP & Councillor to get this changed
Hi, Roxy, if you're looking for some evidence from an official body to throw at the ccg, try this recent Advice Statement from SHTG:
http://www.healthcareimprovementsco...dvice_statements/advice_statement_009-18.aspx
And the evidence note upon which the statement is based:
http://www.healthcareimprovementsco...s/shtg_-_evidence_notes/evidence_note_81.aspx
A lot of ccgs are refusing to prescribe libre because there is not, according to them, enough "statistically significant" evidence about it.
The link above is a statement from the Scottish Health Technology Group about libre.
Whenever something new comes out, NHS Scotland asks SHTG to do some research into it and then give advice on it.
SHTG reported on libre a couple of weeks ago. After reviewing lots of papers, getting input from various organisations, it found that libre was both "clinically and cost effective" and recommended prescribing it.
They reckoned that longer term work still needed to be done on proving the cost effectiveness aspect, but the available models showed that savings from just avoiding emergency ambulance callouts for hypos, and reduced strip usage made major savings, so it seems to be cost effective.
They've not touched on longer term savings from avoiding complications, presumably because it's such a new thing the data for that stuff is not yet available.
A few health boards in Scotland have been waiting to see what the SHTG report would say, so it'll be interesting to see what they do now.
SHTG is an official public body. NHS Scotland is required by law to consider it's advice. It's view carries weight. That's the sort of thing which funders are looking for, something "official" which they can point to, to justify their decision.
Several areas in Scotland have already prescribed on very liberal terms, Lothian, Forth Valley, Glasgow, and a few others. They've led the way in this - might be worth asking your ccg to contact them to ask why.
Chief Executives don't want to feel like they've been left behind, so sometimes just pointing out to them, look, those guys are doing it, here's the basis for it (e.g. SHTG report), shown to be clinically and cost effective after a review of national and international papers, why aren't you doing it?
Best of luck - these things are do-able - NHS Lothian, where I am, did it because it was the right thing to do, other areas just need a bit of gentle nudging to get in line with the front runners!
