Stephen McPartland, MP for Stevenage, has called on all PCTs to immediately fund the recommended treatment options for Alzheimer’s disease patients amid growing evidence that a ‘postcode lottery’ for patients still exists and some are being denied treatment.
Stephen said, “It is crucial that local health trusts fulfil their obligations and make available the NICE recommended treatment options for Alzheimer’s disease. It is unacceptable that patients are still facing a ‘postcode lottery’ around treatment for this devastating disease.”
Stephen added, “It is 12 months since the recommendations on Alzheimer’s disease were published and 9 months since PCTs had an obligation to make these treatment options available. It is simply outrageous and unacceptable that, a year down the line, NHS patients are still being denied the necessary treatments.”
Stephen has raised the issue on behalf of patients who are still unable to receive the drugs that the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommended in March 2011. He has repeatedly raised the issue of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease treatments in the House of Commons championing the roll out of the NICE recommendations for Alzheimer’s disease, which extended treatment options for clinicians by recommending drug treatment options at the mild, moderate and severe stages of the disease. This outcome was widely praised by clinicians and patients throughout the UK.