What is an individual funding request?
NHS Kent and Medway has to make difficult decisions about which treatments it can afford, and in some instances your clinician may wish to seek one that is not routinely provided. This is called an individual funding request (IFR) and must be based on either:
Rarity
A very rare medical condition and for which NHS Kent and Medway has no policy.
Exceptionality
You have clinically significantly different circumstance(s) to other patients with the same condition and you are more likely to benefit from the treatment than is normally expected.
- Personal and social issues cannot be considered.
- That treatment is likely to be effective is not, in itself, exceptional.
- A weekly triage group reviews applications to check whether or not they are appropriate for consideration by the IFR panel.
- The monthly IFR panel includes specialists trained in the evaluation of clinical evidence and decides on funding.
- A letter will be sent about six days after each, telling your referring clinician the outcome and asking him/her to relay that outcome to you.
If the application is declined and you or your doctor thinks the IFR panel breached the proper process, you have the right to appeal.
Appeals can be made within one calendar month of the outcome letter. Once an appeal is acknowledged, you and your doctor have 20 working days to provide further information.
If you are unhappy after making a formal appeal, you can refer the matter to the Complaints Team.
The IFR process in Kent and Medway is managed by the Individual Funding Request Team within NEL at NECS:
IFR Team – NEL at NECS
Kent House
81 Station Road
Ashford
TN23 1PP
Email: scwcsu.ifrsoutheast@nhs.net
Phone: 07826 876168