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NHS Lanarkshire to end referrals to Glasgow Homeopathic HospitalThe long-awaited report on NHS Lanarkshire's review of homeopathy services has finally been publishedThe Board of NHS Lanarkshire has this afternoon received the final report into referrals to the Glasgow Homeopathic Hospital (GHH) — or the Centre for Integrative Care (CIC) as it is sometime called. The report recommends that:
It is expected that the Board will accept its recommendations this afternoon at their extraordinary meeting. [Updated at 14:55] NHS Lanarkshire have just announced their Board's decision to accept the report's recommendation to stop all referrals to the Glasgow Homeopathic Hospital after next March. No evidenceTheir Director of Public Health and Health Policy, Dr Harpreet Kohli, and his team (which included the homeopath and Lead Clinician at the GHH, Dr Bob Leckridge) conducted a thorough review:
They conducted a literature review for the treatments provided by the GHH, concluding:
For homeopathy, their Homeopathy Review Group built on the work carried out by the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee in their Evidence Check on homeopathy, looking at appropriate evidence published since then, up to October 2014. They found that the report's conclusions were unaffected by any new evidence. ConsultationAs well as surveying existing patients and GPs, and visiting the GHH and its outreach clinics in Coatbridge and Carluke, a public consultation was also carried out by NHS Lanarkshire — the results of that have also just been published. Nearly 6,000 responses were received with the majority in favour of continuing to refer to the GHH. Our response to the consultation can be read here. However, the report notes that there had been a concerted campaign to 'Save the Glasgow Homeopathic Hospital', including an online petition, instigated by homeopath Louise Mclean of the Homeopathy Heals website. It also noted that an analysis showed most signers were from outwith Lanarkshire. We have been made aware that Mclean has called for supporters intending to demonstrate outside the building where this afternoon's meeting is being held and to write to MSPs and the Scottish Health Minister to complain. Of the responses expressing support, the main themes were:
Of the responses expressing no support, the main themes were:
Despite the praise for the services (mostly from those not actually using them), we commend NHS Lanarkshire for going with the best evidence rather than popularity in deciding what treatments to provide. Alternative arrangementsPatients will not be left high and dry by this decision. New referrals will cease on 30 March 2015, but those currently attending the GHH or the two outreach clinics will continue to receive the treatments. New patients from April will be able to receive a wide range of conventional, evidence-based, treatments such as those provided by psychosocial services, the addictions service and a number of condition-specific services already provided by NHS Lanarkshire. ClosureOverall, this is a damning indictment of the services provided by the GHH. It can only be an embarrassment to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to have a 'hospital' that is providing treatments for which their Lanarkshire colleagues have concluded there is no good evidence. After the closure of its pharmacy in 2011, the withdrawal of referrals from NHS Highland in 2010 and from NHS Lothian in 2013 and the decline in outpatient attendances over the last ten years, this must surely be the final nail in the coffin of the Glasgow Homeopathic Hospital. DocumentsHomoeopathy Services Board Paper Dec 2014 0.1 Appendix I Review of Homoeopathy Services for Lanarkshire Residents Aug 2013 Appendix II Public Consultation Document Jan 2014 Appendix III Report on the Public Consultation Exercise Sept 2014 09 December 2014
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