HEALTH chiefs have agreed new guidelines on what type of treatments should be funded on the NHS.

‘Standard’ polices on non-routine procedures have been considered by all five Lancashire primary care trust boards including Blackburn with Darwen Care Trust Plus and NHS East Lancashire.

The commissioning principles, developed by GPs, hospital doctors and public health experts following a public consultation, will be used to prioritise treatments.

Directors ruled out paying for caesarean sections for non-medical reasons, male circumcisions in the absence of infection or obstruction, the reversal of sterilisation procedures in men and women and removing minor skin lesions not thought to be cancerous.

They also said they would not pay for removing tattoos, complementary and alternative therapies, and treatment for male and femaile pattern baldness. However, they agreed that tonsillectomies, ear myringotomies, hysteroscopies, endoscopic proc- edures on knee joint cavities, male circumcisions because of medical need and the removal of minor skin lesions suspected to be cancerous should remain ‘must-do’ procedures.

They said the removal of excessive body hair, hair loss correction for alopecia and male pattern baldness in men or women with gender identity disorders would be considered ‘could-do’ procedures.

Dominic Harrison, Blackburn with Darwen’s executive director of public health, said the exercise was not finance-led and designed to ‘improve clinical outcomes’ rather than make ‘signific- ant savings’.

He said: “There are lots of things we could do, but however big the cake is, there are lots of medical things we couldn’t ever do.”

He added that the Lancashire-wide review would protect people from losing out in a ‘postcode lottery’. The remaining 39 policies will be reviewed later this year and next.

Dr Malcolm Ridgway, medical director at the Care Trust Plus, said all the policy decisions were based on national guidance and best clinical practice.

He said: “In some cases there is clinical evidence to show procedures are no longer effective or more modern techniques are available. In other cases it is about making sure patients are only treated when they really need it.

“Patients will see little difference with regard to the first 13 treatments as the review has simply standardised current policies which are already in place.

“Patients who present with exceptional circumstances will continue to have a right of appeal against the decision of the commissioning organisation, as they always have done.”