Mr X complained that the Health Board had failed to prescribe him a newly approved medication called Fampridine, a drug used to improve walking ability in patients with multiple sclerosis. Mr X said this resulted in him paying for private prescriptions when he should have received the treatment from the NHS.
The Ombudsman found that the Health Board had not adequately responded to Mr X’s concerns around the All Wales Medicine Strategy Group (AWMSG) guidance supported by Welsh Government that medicines should be available for prescription within 60 days.
The Health Board agreed to an early resolution of Mr X’s complaint which included:
Within 20 working days of the date of this letter, the Health Board will:
1. Write to Mr X to apologise for the inconvenience in needing to bring the matter to the Ombudsman before a resolution could be agreed
2. Reimburse Mr X for the cost of the medication he self-funded during the period March 2020 to July 2021, subject to Mr X being able to provide full documentation supporting the payments made during this time.
Within 40 working days of the date of this letter, the Health Board will:
3. Conduct a review of all current Multiple Sclerosis patients to ensure there are no other patients who have been similarly self-funding this medication.
It is noted Mr X has requested a refund from January 2020 but the 60 days allowed by AWMSG means it is reasonable to refund from March 2020.