Exceptional treatments are those treatments that the NHS in Somerset does not routinely provide. They are often, but not always, unusual or infrequent.
However, if a patient's GP or other clinician feels that there are genuinely exceptional circumstances then they can refer the patient to a Primary Care Trust committee which will consider each case on its merits, and decide whether treatment can go ahead.
Individual Funding Review Panel Terms of Reference
IFRP Guidance for Clinicians
Application Process
Exceptional treatments include:
- procedures covered by guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. Examples of such treatments are:
- limited intervention procedures, such as:
- Breast reduction
- Removal of benign skin lesions
- Dental implants
- Pinnaplasty
- Varicose Vein surgery
- clinical interventions not currently provided by existing contracts with NHS providers;
- some pharmaceutical treatments.
Note: the above is not a complete list of treatments.
