Freedom of Information Act 2000

2000 CHAPTER 36

An Act to make provision for the disclosure of information held by public authorities or by persons providing

services for them and to amend the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Public Records Act 1958; and for

connected purposes.

[30th November 2000]

Date of Request: 19th Feb 2015

Request ID Number: NN-2015-00015

Freedom of Information Request Please provide me with financial information on the amount of public money spent on Homeopathic Medicine. In particular, I would like to know of any expenditure towards maintaining NHS homeopathic hospitals. Please provide data by year, from 2005 onwards if possible for both the points above. You will be aware of the DoH report which agrees with the committee that the efficacy of Homeopathy cannot be proven beyond the placebo effect. This isn't surprising as there aren't many diseases that can be cured by the ingestion of sugar, apart from acute hypoglycaemia. I am concerned that in these austere times, we are pursuing a pre-scientific treatment, with a non-existent evidence base, while funds could be better spent on real medicine. More concerning still is that patients have been seen to shun conventional medicine and adopt homeopathic treatment, which significantly worsens patient outcomes. NHS North Norfolk CCG’s Response

Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to you on behalf of NHS North Norfolk Clinical Commissioning Group with a response to the information you have requested pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act (2000). I have been instructed that the CCG would like to respond as follows:

Please provide me with financial information, on the amount of public money spent on Homeopathic Medicine. In particular, I would like to know of any expenditure on homeopathic hospitals.

Please provide data by year, from 2005 onwards if possible for both the points above.

Homeopathy treatment is not prescribed, offered or commissioned by NHS North Norfolk

CCG. The policy states that “Homeopathy is NOT ROUTINELY FUNDED as there is currently

insufficient evidence on the clinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and safety of

homeopathy. The use of homeopathy in secondary care is therefore considered a low priority

treatment and will NOT be routinely funded.” There have been no cases considered by the

Individual Funding Request Panel on the grounds of clinical exceptionality since the inception

of Clinical Commissioning Groups.

For any future correspondence regarding this request, please quote the reference number NN-2015-00015.