AQW 7632/11-15

Mrs Judith Cochrane
Alliance Party
East Belfast

Tabled Date: 03/02/2012
Answered On Date: 08/02/2012
Priority Written: Yes

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how many patients have been referred to another part of the UK for cyberknife stereotactic body radiotherapy in the last year.

Revised Answer:

I have been advised by the Health and Social Care Board that during the calendar year 2011, they received requests from consultants within the HSC in Northern Ireland for funding approval to send a total of 56 patients to a specialist provider of stereotactic radiotherapy in another part of the United Kingdom. Of these, one request related specifically to the CyberKnife method of stereotactic radiotherapy.

All 56 patients were transferred for treatment, but in the case of the request relating specifically to the CyberKnife method, the HSCB requires additional information for what would now be a retrospective funding. There were no instances where a referral was not approved.