Memorandum by The Society of Homeopaths
1. SUMMARY
1.1 Homeopathy is a safe, effectual and
cost-effective form of medicine for the treatment of a range of
allergic responses, increasingly being sought particularly by
parents with young children. Indeed, for many parents facing the
prospect of steroidal treatments, homeopathy is the treatment
of choice. Yet, despite the growing demand for homeopathic treatment,
access remains extremely limited for families and individuals
who cannot pay and do not have access to private medical insurance.
1.2 The Society of Homeopaths would particularly
encourage the Government to introduce measures to make homeopathy
more available to patients suffering from allergies, on the NHS.
In particular, the Society calls on the Government to send a stronger
signal to primary care organisations that homeopathy has an excellent
evidence-base in this area and to give them permission to refer
patients to registered homeopaths (RSHom) for treatment.
2. THE SOCIETY
OF HOMEOPATHS
2.1 The Society of Homeopaths is the largest
and most representative body for professional homeopaths in the
UK. We have 1,500 members on our Register, most of whom have completed
recognised courses and have undergone at least one year's supervised
clinical practice and a six-month CPD-based registration process.
Our Registered Members are subject to a rigorous Code of Ethics
and are insured to £3 million professional indemnity.
The Society's development as a professional
organisation was commended by the House of Lords Select Committee's
report on Complementary and Alternative Medicine in 2000, which
states, "under The Society of Homeopaths, the non-medical
homeopaths have organised themselves well and their professional
organisation should mean the transition to statutory regulation
does not present too great an upheaval."
2.2 Our Registered Members increasingly
engage with health professionals such as doctors and nurses in
providing complementary care for allergy sufferers. Where homeopathy
is provided on the NHS (Wiltshire, Yorkshire, Nottingham and London)
patient opinion surveys consistently reveal high satisfaction
with the service.
DEFINING THE
PROBLEM
3. The homeopathic approach to allergies
3.1 The homeopathic approach to the treatment
of allergy entails a full assessment of the patient and takes
into account hereditary features (chronic allergic patients tend
to have a family history), allergic "triggers" and factors
affecting their symptoms. Treatment aims to boost the immune system,
reduce toxicity within the body, and provide symptom management
of acute flare-ups. Homeopathic medicines are taken internally
as pillules or liquids for short periods; some homeopathic preparations
are also applied topically (eg Calendula cream for eczema). Dietary
and/or lifestyle advice may be given.
3.2 Homeopaths believe the incidence of
allergy and allergic diseases is rising owing to a lower immune
function in more individuals. This is probably brought about by
a variety of factors that could be considered "triggers":
toxins in the environment; diets poor in unrefined foodstuffs
and rich in additives; and possibly the over-vaccination of very
young children before inherent immunity has developed.
4. Treatment and management with homeopathy
4.1 Homeopathy is a safe, gentle yet highly
effective system of medicine, frequently used to treat allergies.
Owing to the high dilutions used, homeopathy is safe to use in
small children and in acute situations (attacks), unlike some
conventional medicines which may cause unacceptable side-effects
or an unacceptable risk to long-term health.
4.2 Evidence has shown that homeopathy can
be a useful intervention in the treatment of acute and chronic
allergies:
— allergic perennial rhinitis; and
4.3 Parents of small children are increasingly
choosing homeopathy owing to their concerns about the suppressive
treatments generally prescribed for eczema and asthma, often involving
repeated use of steroidal preparations and antibiotics to combat
complications of the disorder.
4.4 In addition to being a safe, effective,
and cheap method of treatment, homeopathy helps patients and their
carers to feel more involved in their progress to health. Patients
are equally able to manage their allergies with homeopathy.
4.5 Whilst there has been some good research
undertaken into the treatment of allergies with homeopathy, but
The Society of Homeopaths would urge the Government to consider
more research in this area a priority. We believe there would
be a high degree of compliance for such research from health professionals
in the field.
4.6 Whilst we would encourage more research
into the efficacy of homeopathy, particularly for allergies, it
is imperative that such research is designed with the principles
of homeopathy in mind. Often research into our modality to date
has relied on inappropriately designed trials. Real-life clinical
trials and in-practice pilots offer suitable models to explore
the role of homeopathy within an integrated healthcare system.
Government-funded research carried out by Dr
Weatherly-Jones RSHom (University of Sheffield) to develop relevant
research models for homeopathic treatment is important in helping
to inform the design of future trials.
PATIENT AND
CONSUMER ISSUES
5. Choice in Healthcare
5.1 In the NHS Plan the Government set out
a new vision for the National Health Service—a health service
designed around the patient. With 25 per cent of the population
registering their interest in seeing complementary therapies on
the NHS, the provision of homeopathic treatment in the area of
allergies, will go some way to meeting patient choice.
5.2 It is estimated that 470,700 adults
use homeopathy annually, spending over £30 million per year.
This growing market for homeopathy is being recognised by the
private sector. Private Medical Insurance companies, for example,
increasingly allow referrals and self-referral to Registered Members
of the Society of Homeopaths. Royal Sun Alliance, The Hospital
Saturday Association, Health Shield, Healthsure, Anglia Healthcare
and Civil Service and Employees Health Insurance schemes, all
cover such referrals.
5.3 As the former Secretary of State for
Health acknowledged in his speech to the Social Market Foundation
in April 2003, patient choice has historically been the preserve
of the wealthy. As Alan Milburn stated, "For too long
choice in health care has only ever been available those with
the means to pay for it. Those with more money have been able
to exercise more choice. That is the real two-tier health care
in our country." This is true not only of conventional
medicine, where patients are able to jump queues to access faster
treatment, but also in complementary medicine, which remains to
a large extent the reserve of those able to pay for it. Currently
the vast majority of patients who want to use homeopathy to manage
their allergies have to pay privately for treatment. A private
course of treatment costs anything between £100 and £300.
6. Barriers to Choice of Homeopathic Treatment
6.1 In December 2001 the Secretary of State
for Health announced that complementary therapies that can demonstrate
proof of effectiveness will be made available on the NHS. Yet,
in our members' experience, patients are still finding it difficult
to access homeopathy on the NHS. PCTs in particular are still
not referring patients to registered homeopaths even where evidence
exists. The Society believes that there remain some significant
barriers that prevent referrals to homeopathy.
6.2 "Permission": The reluctance
of GPs in particular to refer patients to a registered homeopath
does not appear to be a consequence of personal beliefs in the
effectiveness or not of the treatment. Rather, our members have
found that the key issues are simply that they do not have a history
of doing so and are not being encouraged to by the PCTs. Despite
the announcement by the Secretary of State that complementary
medicine should be available to those who want it, many GPs appear
to be under the impression that their own PCT would not allow
it.
6.3 The Society is therefore calling
on the Government to send a stronger signal to primary care providers
that referring patients to registered homeopaths is "permitted"
within the NHS.
6.4 Understanding of homeopathy amongst
NHS practitioners: If patients are to exercise their choice,
they need to be made fully aware of all of the options available
to them. Yet, too few doctors, nurses and midwives themselves
are familiar with how complementary medicines can benefit allergic
patients. The House of Lords Select Committee, in its report on
Complementary and Alternative Medicine, expressed concern about
this lack of awareness, stating: "We were concerned to
hear that, unlike the medical schools, there seems to be little
or no evidence of a trend within nursing schools to ensure that
student nurses come into contact with the main issues connected
to the practice of CAM therapies. This is despite the fact that
nurses are probably the most likely of all conventional health
practitioners to use CAM techniques in their day-to-day practice".
6.5 Financial Resources: In
our members' experience, NHS managers sometimes claim that they
simply do not have the resources to fund complementary medicines
as well as conventional. However, research undertaken in a number
of pilot projects indicates that referring patients to registered
homeopaths can help to alleviate the burdens on GPs, including
the financial pressures. Case studies produced as part of a study
in Bradford-on-Avon, for example, show that the cost differences
between treating a patient with conventional medicine and homeopathic
therapies can be significant for a GPs' practice.
6.6 In order to assess the cost implications
of giving patients access to complementary medicine in more detail,
the Society calls on the Government to fund a number of pilot
projects across the country, incorporating general medical practices,
as well as NHS allergy clinics.
6.7 Regulation: A further
reason given by NHS managers refusing to refer patients to complementary
medicine therapists is that they believe that the quality control
and regulation of the sector is insufficient. The Society of Homeopaths
is working hard to raise the standards of professionalism in homeopathy
and the complementary medicine sector. The Society is a key player
in the Council of Organisations Registering Homeopaths (CORH),
working to establish a single register for the profession. This
will enable all patients who require homeopathic treatment, as
well as GPs and midwives who refer their patients to a Registered
homeopath, to be sure of the professional standards, competency
and accountability of the homeopaths they employ. We believe
that it is essential that the new single register sets the highest
possible standards for professional homeopaths and we will be
supporting the most rigorous options for the development of this
register.
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