Jamie Inglis funding blow (From York Press)

Jamie Inglis funding blow

10:02am Saturday 21st July 2012 in News By Kate Liptrot, kate.liptrot@thepress.co.uk

Jamie Inglis and his sister, Poppy, wear bed pans as hats as they share a joke during a hospital visit. But Jamie’s father has criticised the NHS’s decision not to fund the next stage of his son’s treatment.

THE family of a courageous little boy due to have potentially life- saving cancer treatment in Germany have been refused any NHS funding.

Six-year-old Jamie Inglis has a 75 per cent chance of survival if he successfully goes through a clinical trial in Germany, Jamie’s oncologist at Leeds General Infirmary, a neuroblastoma expert, has told NHS North Yorkshire and York .

His cancer is so aggressive that treatment in the UK is inadequate and will only prolong his life for months.

But the health authority has told the family, who will have to raise £250,000 to pay for the treatment, that there is insufficient evidence to suggest it will work.

They have also been told that it is not considered financially economical to spend money on one child, the family said.

Jamie’s dad, John, said: “We feel let down by the system. This treatment is coming in next year on the NHS and has clearly been advocated by the NHS.

“The local hospitals have been amazing but do not have adequate means to help.”

Alison Moy, chief executive of the Neuroblastoma Alliance, said: “We know high-risk neuroblastoma is a difficult cancer to treat successfully, but at the moment, parents see a system that gives up on their children too soon, whilst there should still be hope. We are incredibly disappointed that Jamie’s treatment will not be funded by the NHS, but we will work as hard as possible to help Jamie’s family raise the funds they need to get Jamie to Germany for this treatment, which is showing extremely promising results.”

Jamie is due to go to Germany for the treatment on August 20. A fundraising campaign, which has now attracted national attention, has so far raised over £71,000.

The Lord Deramore’s Primary School pupil has recently completed weeks of radiotherapy to prepare him for the treatment and yesterday completed a five-day spell of chemotherapy. Dr David Geddes, medical director for NHS North Yorkshire and York said its individual funding panel considered whether to fund treatments not routinely commissioned. He said: “We have a responsibility to ensure that we provide the best possible healthcare for the largest number of patients within the limited resources available.

“Unfortunately, this means that we are not able to fund some specialist treatments for which there is limited clinical evidence to support their clinical effectiveness.”

To donate to Jamie’s appeal visit justgiving.com/jamiesappeal

•A Jazz For Jamie event at the Tramways Club in Mill Street earlier this week raised about £1,900.

The event was organised by Jamie’s friends and parents at Lord Deramore’s Primary School and featured music and the raffle of numerous donated prizes such as York City FC shirts, including Scott Kerr ’s shirt from the FA Trophy final at Wembley, Leeds rugby tickets, a family ticket to a Disney Live Mickey Mouse show and a signed shirt and magazine from gymnast Beth Tweddle.