Request
I would be grateful if you could confirm how many people and at what cost you have funded the use of the drug Avastin.
I would also request that you confirm the allocation to Derbyshire by the Coalition Government for cancer drugs and how this has been spent and the remainder unspent.
I am making this request under the freedom of information act.
Please contact me if you require any clarification in respect of my request.
Our Response
I refer to your letter requesting information in respect of expenditure on cancer drugs. I can confirm in accordance with S.1 (1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) that we do not hold all of the information that you have requested. However, I can provide some information relevant to your request in respect of the Interim Cancer Drug Fund (ICDF) which is operating in the East Midlands from 1 October 2010 to 31 March 2011.
The fund comprises an additional £4.2 million to improve access to cancer drug treatments. Applications are made through individual patients’ cancer specialists and decisions are made by a clinical panel. Further information about how the Fund operates and the principles on which it is operates can be viewed on our website at http://www.eastmidlands.nhs.uk/interim-cancer-drug-fund/.
In respect of the specific questions you raised in your letter, I can confirm the following:-
How many people and at what cost you have funded the use of the drug Avastin
The allocation to Derbyshire by the Coalition Government for cancer drugs and how this has been spent and the remainder unspent
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NHS East Midlands does not hold this information. The Interim Cancer Drugs Fund is managed as a single amount of money so there is no specific allocation to NHS Derbyshire.
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Monthly monitoring reports are published on the website. This details the numbers of applications received, the outcome of the decision making processes and the estimated expenditure committed from the fund.
I hope that this information is of use. If you are dissatisfied with the way in which we have dealt with your request you can ask us to review our decision by writing to:-
Mr Moosa Patel
Director of Corporate Affairs
NHS East Midlands
Octavia House
Interchange Business Park
Bostock's Lane
Sandiacre
Nottingham
NG10 5QG
If at the conclusion of any review you remain dissatisfied you may complain to the Information Commissioner who can be contacted at:-
The Office of the Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
