Pioneering new medical treatments should be made available from the NHS, say North West residents

New and potentially life-saving medical treatments, such as proton beam therapy, bone marrow transplant and stem cell therapy should be made available from the National Health Service, according to a new survey.

It found that 92% of those surveyed form the North West of England believed such treatments, which currently can only be accessed privately in the UK or overseas, should be freely available.

Demand for such treatments was also relatively high with nearly two thirds (63%) from the North West saying they would consider undergoing new medical treatments if they were diagnosed with a life-threatening condition.  A further 29% were unsure about the new treatment, whilst only 8% said they would not consider it.  

In April, proton beam therapy was used for the first time in the UK to treat a prostate cancer patient in Newport, South Wales. It’s expected six proton beam centres will be opened in the UK over the next three years, two within the NHS.

Nationally, although 40% said they would be prepared to pay for the treatment privately, only 10% currently have private medical insurance. London saw the highest number of respondents who had private medical insurance at double the national average (21%), whilst the North West saw 9%. The North East of England had the fewest with 6%.

When asked about funding of the NHS, 84% of the 1,700 UK adults surveyed by Censuswide said that they did not believe the NHS was currently sufficiently funded. This was even higher in the North West, with 90% of respondents saying the health service needed more funding.

The survey was conducted on behalf of SecurityTrust, a new private medical insurance provider underwritten at Lloyd’s. It provides access to pioneering medical treatments either privately in the UK or overseas via its medical insurance plan ‘MediVISA’.

Their CEO, David Abingdon, said: “Our survey has revealed a high degree of understanding and demand from the North West for new and potentially life-saving medical treatments not yet available from the National Health Service.  We offer this access at low cost for a variety of serious conditions, such as cancer, heart diseases and neurological conditions.

“Funding levels for the NHS and the roll of private medical providers will always be debated. The ongoing financial challenges the health service faces are well known. I firmly believe we are a crucial part of the solution, especially when it comes to providing access to new treatments which either aren’t yet widely available or are prohibitively expensive for the public purse.”