AWTTC publishes IPFR Annual Report 2022-2023
24 November 2023
The All Wales Therapeutics and Toxicology Centre (AWTTC) are pleased to announce the publication of the Individual Patient Funding Request (IPFR) annual report for 2022 – 2023. Compiled by AWTTC, the report features the work of the IPFR teams across Health Boards and the Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee (WHSSC) for patients in Wales. IPFR teams across Wales continue to provide a vital service for patients with a timely and consistent process.
Highlighted in the report is that:
- A total of 335 IPFR requests were considered by panels across Wales, a 6% increase on the previous year. Requests for both medicines and non-medicines accounted for this increase.
- The IPFR workshop was held at Cardiff City Stadium in February 2023. The event was well attended with very positive feedback received on the range of talks and sessions provided.
- AWTTC conducted a recruitment campaign to promote lay membership for IPFR panels. Seven new panel members were recruited and trained including one new lay member.
Activities associated with the IPFR service are also reported. The IPFR Quality Assurance (QA) group continued to meet every quarter to assess one randomly selected IPFR for each panel for compliance with the All Wales Policy criteria. In 2022-2023 over 90% of IPFRs reviewed by the QA group met these criteria, the group are reassured that IPFR teams across Wales are providing a timely, efficient and well documented service.
Eight medicines/medicine combinations were assessed through the One Wales Medicines process; all were supported for use and are now routinely available for patients in Wales. Also, six reviews were conducted for existing One Wales recommendations and one medicine was retired from the work programme because it is now included within national guidelines. AWTTC regularly collects and analyses data from IPFRs across Wales, to look for patient cohorts for particular medicines and conditions which maybe suitable to be assessed using the One Wales Medicines process.
Individual panels reported on their local activities to support clinicians by providing guidance on completing forms and promoting the need for the collection of outcome data. An internal audit was undertaken for one panel and others have been involved in training new panel members. The number of patient outcomes reported by clinicians to the IPFR panels after completion of treatments improved from the previous year. Of these, 77% of patients were reported to have a complete or partial response to treatment and 70% had an improvement in quality of life.
Prof James Coulson, Clinical Director, AWTTC said: "Our Quality Assurance process shows that panels are achieving high rates of concordance with the IPFR policy. It is heartening to see a return to the (quality assurance) levels achieved before the COVID 19 pandemic. There is more evidence of panels considering value for money and alternative treatment costs in their decision-making discussions."
In 2022-2023 Cardiff and Vale University Health Board recruited and trained four new panel members, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board recruited two new members and Powys Teaching Health Board recruited one new lay member. Find out more about becoming a Lay Member here.