Update on continence items listed in Part IX of the Drug Tariff, July 2007

The Department of Health (DH) has published summaries of the responses to the three consultations on Part IX Drug Tariff concerning prescribable continence/urology/stoma products. See full version of summaries at www.dh.gov.uk (click consultations, click responses).

The DH state ''The volume and complexity of the responses are such that the Department has decided that it needs more time to analyse the information provided. This analysis needs to take account of comments made about the Department's proposals regarding terms of services for Part IX. Consequently, no changes will be implemented in July 2007 as proposed in the consultation documents. Moreover, we do not expect that the review will be completed by the end of the year''.

Incontact hopes that ''critically through out the review, the needs of patients continue to be paramount and the Department is committed to ensuring that their care is maintained'' applies to all three consultations. Incontact is continuing to lobby Parliament to try to make sure that individual patient's needs including choice are met if changes take place.