§ Sir Michael McNair-WilsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has now approved a particular design for a powered wheelchair for the use of patients in hospital or suffering disability.
§ Mr. DorrellThe Department provides an evaluation service to assist NHS prescribers, rather than approve wheelchairs for health service use, as such. Chemotherapy
§ Mr. HardyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will ensure that where use of the drug Ondansetron is judged clinically to be of help to patients receiving chemotherapy sufficient funding is available to enable it to be prescribed.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyOndansetron is available for prescription by doctors throughout the national health service for the prevention of nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy for cancer.
It is for the individual doctor to decide whether to prescribe Ondansetron, or indeed any drug, in a given set of circumstances. In many districts drug and therapeutic committees have been set up to secure the agreement and 424W commitment of clinicians to an efficacious and economical system of drug usage and have drawn up formularies of preferred treatments. It is for health authorities to determine what financial allocation should be made available to any particular area of clinical care, including the provision of drugs.