08.08.18
Homeopathy no longer available in NHS in England as last CCG ends funding
Publicly-funded homeopathy will end in England as the last CCG in the country has announced it will be terminating NHS funding of the service.
Health bosses at Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) CCG approved changes yesterday that will end NHS-funded homeopathy, limiting the service only to “exceptional circumstances” in the area.
Homeopathy is a complementary or alternative medicine based on the understanding that “like cures like”— the idea that a substance that causes certain symptoms can also help to remove those symptoms.
It is estimated that the 41 patients receiving NHS-funded homeopathic consultations in the Bristol area cost the local NHS £109,476 in the 2017-18 financial year.
The decision comes after the publication of a local report which took in evidence by locals and experts, providers of homeopathic treatments and national guidelines.
CCG clinical chair Dr Jonathan Hayes said: “We are working hard to become an evidence-informed organisation because we need to make the best use of all resources to offer treatment and care to the widest range of people.
“The decision on homeopathy funding today is a step towards this and brings us in line with national guidelines.”
In June the British Homeopathy Association lost its High Court battle against NHS England’s decision to stop funding homeopathic medicines. In March the UK’s largest alternative medicine hospital, the Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine, decided to stop offering NHS-funded homeopathy.
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