Central York MP Hugh Bayley demands answers on back-pain jabs (From York Press)

Central York MP Hugh Bayley demands answers on back-pain jabs

9:47am Thursday 9th September 2010 in

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ONE of York’s MPs has demanded top-level talks in the long-running row over the end of routine injections to help back-pain sufferers.

In the House of Commons yesterday, York Central MP Hugh Bayley told Health Minister, Anne Milton that he believed NHS North Yorkshire and York PCT was operating a “postcode lottery” by denying back pain sufferers relief which was available in other trust areas.

Mr Bayley asked Mrs Milton, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health: “The consultant in charge of York’s pain clinic believes that the PCT is not following the most recent NICE guidelines. What is the Government doing to reduce this kind of postcode lottery? Will the Minister contact the PCT and arrange for it to meet me and the consultant to discuss how these guidelines ought to be applied in North Yorkshire and York?”

The Minister replied: “It is precisely because of the situation that he (Mr Bayley) describes that we are bringing in some of our reforms. It is important that decisions about treatment and care are made by clinicians-GPs and a large number of other people, including some voluntary and charitable organisations-and that they are clinically led, evidence-based and also include patient choice.”

Following the session, Mr Bayley said: “There is little point in having an independent body of doctors and scientists like NICE to determine what treatments work if its advice is not followed.”