FOI 2024-092

Question 1:  

a.       Does your trust provide funding for point-of-care home blood monitoring devices for people with cancer who are receiving systemic anticancer therapy? (Y/N) For added context, examples of such devices include Xprecia (by Universal Biosensors) & Liberty (by Entia), and they offer full white blood counts to assess side effects caused because of cancer treatment. 

                                             i.            If yes, how is it funded? (please elaborate) 

No, the Trust does not offer home point of care blood tests currently for any patients receiving SACT. 

b.       If not, is it because the pharmaceutical company already funds it? (Y/N) (please elaborate) 

                                           ii.            If yes, out of which budget does it come out from? (please elaborate) 

No, this is not supported by pharmaceutical company either. 

c.       Furthermore, if these funding schemes do not currently exist at your trust and are not funded by pharmaceutical companies, are there plans to fund such initiatives in the future? (Y/N)  

                                             i.            If yes, please give some examples of some of the funding initiatives. Examples of some of these funding pots include but are not limited to, the virtual wards fund, the digital fund, and the Improved Better Care Fund (iBCF)? (Please provide a detailed answer) 

Currently this is not something that could be supported or is service improvement priority for ELHT. This would need to be discussed at system level with the LSC Cancer Alliance in the first instance, not at Trust level.