Committee for Health & Social Care - P.2019/141
The States are asked to decide:-
Whether, after consideration of the Policy Letter entitled 'Review of the Funding of Drugs, Treatments and Devices', dated 25th November, 2019 they are of the opinion:-
1. To agree, in principle, that the States of Guernsey should adopt, on a non-statutory basis, a policy of funding drugs and treatments in receipt of a Technology Appraisal from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, including those drugs approved for funding from the Cancer Drug Fund.
2. To direct that the Committee forHealth & Social Care should adopt a phased approach to the implementation of Proposition 1 above, starting with those drugs and treatments with an incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER) value of up to £30,000 in Year 1, followed by an increase to an ICER value of up to £40,000 in Year 2, as set out in this Policy Letter, at an estimated cost of £5.6m in Year 1 and £8.3m from Year 2.
3. To agree that the costs associated with implementation of Propositions 1 and 2 will be funded from General Revenue until such time as the legislative changes are in place to enable this expenditure to be funded from the Guernsey Health Reserve.
4. To agree that when the legislative changes referred to in Proposition 3 are in place, a transfer should be made from the Guernsey Health Reserve to the General Revenue Reserve of the value of expenditure which has been incurred by General Revenue under Proposition 3.
5. To direct the Committee for Health & Social Care, with the support of the Policy & Resources Committee, to report back to the States with a review of the practical application of the policy referred to in Proposition 1 in the first two years of its operation, together with proposals recommending or otherwise the introduction of drugs and treatments with an ICER value greater than £40,000, to be submitted to the States for consideration as close to the end of Year 2 as possible, but in any event, no more than six months following the end of Year 2. The review should include:
a) details of the long-term funding arrangements necessary for the continuance of drugs and treatments with an ICER value of up to £40,000;
b) proposals recommending or otherwise the introduction of drugs and treatments with an ICER value greater than £40,000, to include identifying the associated financial and resource implications; and
c) details of the long-term funding arrangements including any capital and/or additional infrastructure necessary for the introduction of drugs and treatments with an ICER value greater than £40,000.
6. To direct the Policy & Resources Committee to use its delegated authority to approve the use of a maximum of £150,000 from the Budget Reserve to fund the review set out in Proposition 5 above.
The above Propositions have been submitted to Her Majesty's Procureur for advice on any legal or constitutional implications in accordance with Rule 4(1) of the Rules of Procedure of the States of Deliberation and their Committees.
