English charities warn that patients might have to wait three years for many life-extending new drugs if NHS England and the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) enforce plans to allow the use of cost-effective medicines to be delayed, despite widespread opposition and a national petition.

The charities warn that if the controversial rationing plans to delay access to medicines if the total NHS England bill exceeds £20 million per year go ahead, the changes would cost the lives of patients having to wait for treatment that has already been proven to be beneficial. NICE said the new system would ‘enhance our ability to optimise access to innovative treatments in the light of the significant financial challenge facing the NHS.’

Read the article in The Times here and The Guardian here.

Sign the petition here to stop NHS and NICE plans that would delay access to vital new cancer treatments. KCSN are signatories to the letter the The Times and have signed the petition.