Why some drugs or treatments aren't readily available

Primary care trusts need to make sure that the drugs and treatments they fund are of clear benefit to the people in their area. They need to make sure they are spending their money wisely, helping as many people as possible. This means that they may decide that some drugs and treatments are not available automatically. Usually PCTs keep a list of drugs or treatments that are not automatically funded.

Whether a drug or treatment is funded in individual cases will be decided by a panel of members of the PCT. This can include people from different professional backgrounds, not just health.

Cancer drugs or treatments might not be automatically funded if it’s not clear how effective they are, if they haven’t been proven to be as effective as other treatments, or if the PCT decides that the possible benefits of the drug do not justify the costs.

The effectiveness of a drug or treatment may be decided after trials have been done and when decisions are made by NICE or the SMC (Scottish Medicines Consortium).