Commissioning Policy Treatment
Prescribing of Chemotherapy for patients in community with malignant disease
For the treatment of
Cancer
Background
Chemotherapy measures for PCTs: 11-6A-101s Manual for Cancer Services: Chemotherapy Measures v1.0 (June 2011): The measure 11-6A-101s requires that the PCT has a policy stating General practitioners (GPs) should not prescribe systemic, including oral, cytotoxic chemotherapy or intracavitary cytotoxic chemotherapy for the treatment of malignant disease, under the contract each General Practice has with NHS Kirklees. The South West Yorkshire Area Prescribing Committee agrees through the RAG (red-amber-green) classification system as to the suitability of prescribing of medicines and related items in different clinical settings. All oral chemotherapy agents are classified as ‘red’ – suitable for hospital prescribing only. The current classifications of medicines can be found on the Area Prescribing Committee website: http://www.formulary.cht.nhs.uk/Guidelines/APC/Main_Index.htm
Commissioning position
NHS Kirklees commissions cancer services from secondary and tertiary services and specialist cancer centres. NHS Kirklees does not approve or commission cancer care pathways that rely on or involve prescribing of systemic, including oral cytotoxic chemotherapy or intracavitary cytotoxic chemotherapy for the treatment of malignant disease by General Practice. The following exclusions to this policy are: The prescription of oral hydroxy-carbamide, for cases under the overall care of a hospital consultant haemato-oncologist; The prescription of topical cytotoxic agents used for the treatment of some skin malignancies or premalignant conditions GPs who are acting for that part of their practice under contact to a hospital Trust. (This did not apply to any GP practice in Kirklees at the time this policy was adopted). Where a GP practitioner is requested to take on the prescribing of
Medicines Management NHS Kirklees
Approved MMC 6th December 2011