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Homeopathy

Last September, after an extensive and wide-ranging consultation with GPs, patients, members of the public and a number of organisations, West Kent PCT Board decided to end routine funding for homeopathy.

At the beginning of this year, it rescinded that decision to allow further work to be carried out on the impact of an end to funding on users of the service (a full Equality Impact Assessment).

With the work complete the homeopathy consultation was taken to the PCT Board for a new decision on 24 July, where the withdrawal of the routine funding of homeopathy was approved.

The Board agreed to a number of measures to support people who believe homeopathy is the only treatment to reduce their symptoms.

These include

a review with their GP
the drawing up of a guide that can be used by the PCT's Individual Treatment Panel to identify patients who are more likely to benefit from homeopathy than other people with the same condition and
work to support patients in becoming expert at managing their own health.

The Board also agreed to a wide-ranging review of all services available for people with complex long-term conditions, to identify where there are gaps and what could be improved.

Current patients will finish their treatment over the next six months but the PCT will not pay for further routine homeopathic consultations or treatments after the end of March next year.

Edenbridge

In January 2008, after an extensive consultation, West Kent PCT Board agreed to strengthen the service provided by the Minor Injuries Unit at Edenbridge, enabling it to provide an improved service to local people.

Staplehurst

People in Staplehurst were very interested in the issue of who would manage the new £1million health centre built for them by the PCT.

Two local representatives - one from the parish council and one from the local Patient and Public Involvement Forum - were on the evaluation panel which oversaw the entire process of drawing up the specifications, advertising, going through the process of evaluating bidders and their tenders, and making a recommendation to the PCT board.

The three final bidders gave presentations to a packed audience in Staplehurst who clearly endorsed a bid by West Malling Group Practice, which also emerged as the bid with the highest score when all three bids were assessed in detail by the evaluation panel. The PCT Board appointed West Malling Group Practice as preferred bidder and they took over the management of the centre on 1 May.

Document Title	File size
Homeopathy Evidence Review	330kb
Edenbridge Consultation Board Paper	42kb
Homeopathy Outcomes Document	307kb
Edenbridge Outcomes Document	67kb
Community Hospital Review	2063kb
Health Visiting Discussion Document	231kb