§ Ms. HarmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements exist for patients in non-National Health Service hospices to obtain necessary drugs under the National Health Service; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Mellor[holding answer 22 December 1988]: General medical practitioners are entitled to prescribe drugs for their patients who have been admitted to independent hospices. This entitlement applies to medical directors of hospices who are also general medical practitioners. In addition, health authorities have discretion to supply drugs to hospices without charge or at reduced rates, or to make financial contributions to the cost of the services they provide. Medical directors of hospices who are also employed by health authorities may, by arrangement with the authorities, prescribe drugs for hospice patients.
We are aware that some hospices find current arrangements insufficiently flexible, and the scope for improvements is under consideration.