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Are you missing out on treatment because of your postcode?
February 7, 2012 at 10:59 am
New research suggests your chances of surviving cancer can depend on something as random as where you live.
A new study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has estimated that if all patients were to receive the same level of care as those who live in the most well-off postcodes then over 7,000 extra lives could be saved in England each year.
Another report published by the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation reveals that a lung cancer patient’s chances of surviving for up to one year after diagnosis varied from 15 per cent in Herefordshire to 43.7 per cent in Kensington and Chelsea.
But, interesting, it’s not just cancer care where there’s a postcode lottery. The NHS Atlas of Variation 2011 revealed wide disparities in access to a whole host of medical treatments around the UK. There is a 25-fold variation in anti-dementia drug prescribing rates across England, for instance. Patients with type 2 diabetes are twice as likely to receive the highest standard of care in some areas of England in comparison to others. There is also an eight-fold variation in the range of patients receiving angioplasty treatment for severe heart attacks.
You can check out the variations yourself on the NHS Atlas of Variation.
Do you think you or someone you know is missing out on the treatment or even been refused treatment just because of where you or they live? We’d love to know what you think – post your comments below.
I think it is because there are few or no good hospitals in their place or maybe it is also because of lack of money that’s why they are missing any treatments. In my case, I miss a treatment due to lack of money. =)