Homoeopathy in the NHS

Asolepius

Graduate Poster
Asolepius
Joined
Jul 5, 2004
Messages
1,150
Hi folks - new here and this is my first post! I am researching for an article commissioned by a UK pharmaceutical publication. One of the issues is that the National health Service runs homoeopathic hospitals, and I am trying to find out how much they spend. The NHS itself doesn't know!!! They have not done any cost-effectiveness studies either. Any suggestions?
 
Maybe you would have to look at the finances of the Trusts/GP's that refer to the homeopathic hospitals, it should be in there. I'm not especially suprised that there is not a central figure available.

What is the publication you are writing a piece for?

regards

PJ
 
I have a very informative article on the use of Complementary therapies by GPs sent to me by another member of this board, I'll forward it on if you send me an email address by PM.

This is the article
 
There's only half a dozen of the hospitals. Is their budget accessible on the internet? Otherwise you could just write and ask.
 
There's only half a dozen of the hospitals. Is their budget accessible on the internet? Otherwise you could just write and ask.
 
I believe there are five such hospitals, but only two of them (London and Glasgow) actually have in-patient beds, so what makes the others hospitals I don't know.

The London one seems to have two web sites - the Health trust one and their own site. There does seem to be a fair pot of money involved.

I read an article somewhere that one of the London boroughs which had spent a lot of money referring patients there did a cost/benefit assessment and decided to terminate its contract with the hospital. Unfortunately I've lost the link to that one.

Rolfe.
 
Prester John said:
Maybe you would have to look at the finances of the Trusts/GP's that refer to the homeopathic hospitals, it should be in there. I'm not especially suprised that there is not a central figure available.

What is the publication you are writing a piece for?

regards

PJ
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It would be invidious to reveal my sponsor at this stage. I know where the hospitals are, so I can just ask, but I wondered if there was a short cut.

I like your sig - but surely Sagan demolished homeopathy in 'The Demon-Haunted World'?
 
Internal contradictions don't seem to bother other homeopaths so i don't let them bother me. ;)
 
Benguin said:
I have a very informative article on the use of Complementary therapies by GPs sent to me by another member of this board, I'll forward it on if you send me an email address by PM.

This is the article
Click to expand...

Thanks, I got the article - very helpful. Also the questions are great!
 
Thanks everyone for helpful replies. BTW I am trying to identify the UK gov minister responsible for complementary medicine. Used to be Baroness Cumberlege but can't confirm this from gov sites.
 
I was greatly amused to follow some of the links at the Royal London website.

On their list of services:

"The Marigold Clinic, Homeopathic Podiatry & Chiropody
- for painlessly treating foot problems"

Firstly I'd like to see homeopathy treat bunions.(Guaranteed $1million Randi prize!)

Secondly, of course homeopathy treatment is painless, since it consists of nothing.

Edited to add: I see they also prescribe "tissue salts".......
(I am now going to go and lie down for a while. To think my taxes go to support this rubbish!)

Further edited to add: I see that their podiatry homeopath, Tariq Khan, has some unusual qualifications (FBAHChP). So unusual, in fact, that a Google for this degree turns up only one single "recipient" in the entire www! No prizes for guessing who.....
 
Rolfe said:
Oh, goody!

My bus to the vet college in Glasgow used to go past their (old) building, and I used to watch for the bats emerging from the belfry, as it were. If they closed that, I'd personally write a letter of congratulation to the Health Board!

Rolfe.
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Instead of writing to the Health Board after the event you could be part of the process to get it closed. With our shiny new parliament, anyone can now petition them on any subject provided it is "on a matter of wide public interest or concern" and is within the powers devolved to the Scottish Parliament (health is). If someone felt strongly that the NHS should only fund treatments that actually worked, they could petition the parliament to pass a law to that effect....

More info here - http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/factfiles/ff5.htm
 
Originally posted by Jaggy Bunnet
Instead of writing to the Health Board after the event you could be part of the process to get it closed. With our shiny new parliament, anyone can now petition them on any subject provided it is "on a matter of wide public interest or concern" and is within the powers devolved to the Scottish Parliament (health is). If someone felt strongly that the NHS should only fund treatments that actually worked, they could petition the parliament to pass a law to that effect....
Click to expand...
who knew :eek:

The laws already exist, they just need to be enacted :D
 
Jaggy Bunnet said:
Instead of writing to the Health Board after the event you could be part of the process to get it closed. With our shiny new parliament, anyone can now petition them on any subject provided it is "on a matter of wide public interest or concern" and is within the powers devolved to the Scottish Parliament (health is). If someone felt strongly that the NHS should only fund treatments that actually worked, they could petition the parliament to pass a law to that effect....
Click to expand...

There you are Rolfe. As Jean-Luc Picard would say, "Make it so". That really would be a benefit of devolution.
 
Badly Shaved Monkey said:
There you are Rolfe. As Jean-Luc Picard would say, "Make it so". That really would be a benefit of devolution.
Click to expand...
OK. I even have a real live address in Scotland with a real live vote attached to it and so what if I very deliberately didn't put my cross in the box labelled "McConnell"?

Rolfe.
 
Couple of things to add......

I've only recently discovered that accupuncture is also provided on the NHS - a friend just told me she has been referred. She tells me she has already been twice, having been told that she needs several visits to notice any benefit. How convenient! The practitioner gets paid for multiple visits, and my friend is likely to start to feel better anyway after several weeks.....

Anyway, as annoyed as I was I wrote immediately to my local MP asking what evidence the government has that accupuncture actually 'works' and why they are spending vast amounts of NHS finances (which is already very tight) on such pseudo-science.

My enquiry was passed on the Dr John Reid (Health Minister) and Jane Hutt (Welsh Health Minister) for their comments. I eagerly await their replies - as we all know there is no proper scientific evidence that accupuncture actually works.

What will the government come up with? I'm expecting them to use the usual comments 'it's been practiced for centuries' and/or 'thousands' believe in it. However, I have already told them that I would not accept these, since 'belief' that something works does not equate to it 'actually' working.


Secondly...I recently game a cross a government Consultation Paper entitled "Regulation of herbal medicine and accupuncture". This document goes into great detail about why and how these practices should be regulated. However, they make No comment on whether they actually work! Unfortunately the deadline for responses to the paper passed on June 6th. However, depending on the replies I get from the government ministers I may follow this up later.

Cheers,
Don
 
don9999 said:
Couple of things to add......

I've only recently discovered that accupuncture is also provided on the NHS -

snip

Oh yes - I've had it 3 times. No effect whatever of course. The last time I was a patient in a clinical trial of 'acupoint electrical stimulation'. Now clinical trials are my profession, and it was without doubt the worst-designed and conducted trial I have ever come across. It was of course sponsored not by a company but by academics.
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