Funding for cancer drugs in 'exceptional circumstances' by primary care trusts - a legal and ethical analysis

Legal and ethical analysis of resource allocation for cancer drugs by Primary Care Trusts, within the NHS

Amy Ford obtained her medical degree from the University of Liverpool in 2000. During her undergraduate medical studies, she was awarded a BSc in Health Care Ethics and Law from the University of Manchester. Since qualifying, Amy trained in acute medicine before specialising in Medical Oncology. She has pursued her interest in biomedical ethics in a clinical context by serving on a hospital clinical ethics committee and training hospital staff of all disciplines regarding ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ orders.

Amy is currently a National Institute of Health Research Doctoral Fellow at the Centre for Social Ethics and Policy, University of Manchester. Her research involves a legal and ethical analysis of resource allocation for cancer drugs by Primary Care Trusts, within the NHS. She continues to work part time as a clinician and intends to complete her training in Medical Oncology after finishing her PhD.

During her stay at the Brocher Foundation, Amy will be drawing on case law and literature, as well as reflecting on her personal experience as a clinician, to examine the role of the legal concept of ‘exceptionality’ in resource allocation for cancer drugs. She will focus specifically on the application of this concept by Primary Care Trusts and its interpretation by the judiciary.