An Individual Funding Request (IFR) is for a patient whose treatment is not normally funded and needs to be considered on an individual patient basis. NHS NW London has an in-common suite of Planned Procedure with a Threshold portfolio. These are policies covering treatments or procedures with an agreed set of clinically appropriate criteria which must be met prior to any treatment referral.

When to use IFR

These include:

• interventions prior to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) evaluation

• NICE have evaluated the treatment as not generally being cost effective

• treatments covered by NICE Technology Appraisal Guidance criteria that the patient does not meet

• treatments where the patient does not fulfil the agreed funding criteria for PPwT and have clinically exceptional circumstances

• requests to continue funding for patients previously treated:

  • within a clinical trial

  • by self-funding

  • through a decision made by another integrated care board where the patient has become the responsibility of NHS NW London covered by the terms of this policy

• requests for referral to a service not commissioned locally and not listed on the national register

• those which are not funded through the ICB

How can I make an individual funding request?

It is a clinician-led application. This means that a patient will need the support of a clinician, usually the patient's GP or consultant, to make the case on their behalf through submitting a completed IFR application along with the supporting clinical evidence. The application will be considered by the NW London IFR Panel.

The IFR Team can be contacted for general policy or process queries only; patients can be advised to contact their GP or hospital clinical team if they require information regarding their IFR case.
e: nhsnwl.ifr@nhs.net