Managers at NHS Grampian changed their minds about providing specialist treatment to a cancer patient from Elgin, following pressure from the Scottish Government.
Insider emails, which have now been made public, highlight a number of urgent communications to, from and within the health board, including “multiple contacts” from Holyrood and its chief medical officer.
The Scottish Government intervention came after Elgin nurse, Anne MacLean-Chang, complained she had been denied the drug Kadcyla to treat her breast cancer earlier this year.
The treatment costs around £90,000 a year and can help to extend the lives of cancer patients, but it has not been approved for use by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC).
Mrs MacLean-Chang had started a fundraising drive to pay for Kadcyla after the request from her doctor was denied, and she wrote to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon asking for help.
The latter’s contacted NHS Grampian, and the drug was later approved.
One official’s email said: “I’ve had multiple contacts from SG (Scottish Government) and CMO (chief medical officer) office concerning this case – could you call me as soon as you are able to.”
A Scottish Government spokesman responded: “Following correspondence to the Scottish Government, officials contacted NHS Grampian to obtain further information about this case and the processes followed.
“NHS Grampian’s medical director reviewed the individual patient treatment request to understand the context and the circumstances behind the original decision and, after consideration, subsequently sanctioned the use of Kadcyla on clinical grounds in this instance.
“We’ve substantially increased access to new medicines, particularly for cancer, due to reforms in recent years.”
Following a meeting of the NHS Grampian doctor’s panel, Mrs Sturgeon was able to tell first minister’s questions at Holyrood that the decision had been overturned.
After being challenged about political intervention in clinical decisions, she told MSPs: “This is not a case of me and my government intervening, it is a case of the system operating to get the patient the drug that I agree she should access.”
Mrs MacLean-Chang confirmed last night she has since relocated from Elgin to Glasgow to be nearer cancer care facilities.
