Summary

Mrs X complained that Aneurin Bevan University Health Board (“the Health Board”) failed to offer her treatment with the drug fampridine after its approval for NHS use in Wales in December 2019. Fampridine may help certain patients who have multiple sclerosis.

I upheld the complaint.

My investigation found that, despite fampridine being approved for NHS-funded use in Wales in 2019, the Health Board had still not put in place arrangements to offer fampridine to any eligible patients within its area. This included Mrs X. In my view, this amounted to maladministration which resulted in ongoing injustice to Mrs X. She remains unclear as to when or if she will have access to this potentially life improving medication.

I recommended that the Health Board should apologise to Mrs X, and put in place an action plan, with timescales and board oversight, to ensure that the introduction of fampridine was implemented in a timely manner.