Sometimes a health board may not routinely provide a medicine; for example, a medicine that the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), has not yet licensed for treating a particular condition.
If a patient and their clinician agree that a medicine that isn’t routinely available would benefit the patient, their clinician can submit an Individual Patient Funding Request (IPFR) asking the health board, or the Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee (WHSSC), to fund the medicine. Requests may also be made for licensed medicines that are not recommended after a health technology assessment (HTA).
An independent panel of healthcare professionals and lay members will meet to consider the IPFR and the clinical evidence. The patient’s personal details are always kept confidential.
The panel will decide to fund a medicine if the evidence provided shows:
Each health board in Wales has an IPFR co-ordinator who will be able to help you. You can contact them on the telephone numbers detailed below. Please note that they will not be able to discuss your healthcare as they are not clinically trained but will be able to talk you through how a request for treatment can be made and how it will be considered. If you have an enquiry regarding an IPFR in progress please contact the IPFR co-ordinator at the relevant health board or WHSSC panel.