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Submit an Individual Patient Funding Request (IPFR)

 

Individual Patient Funding Requests (IPFRs) are defined as requests to fund NHS healthcare for patients who fall outside of the range of services and treatments that NHS Wales has arranged to routinely provide, or commission. This can include a request for any type of healthcare including a specific service, treatment, medicine, device or piece of equipment. 
 

Such a request will normally fall within one of the following categories: 

  1. A patient and NHS clinician have agreed together that they would be suitable for treatment that is either new, novel, developing or unproven and is not within the routine schedule of services and treatments; 

  1. A patient and NHS clinician have agreed together that they would be suitable for treatment that is provided in certain clinical circumstances but is not eligible in accordance with the clinical policy criteria for that treatment;
     

IPFRs should also not be confused with treatments that have already been provided or administered outside of NHS funded care. Requests will not be considered for retrospective funding or healthcare travel costs. 

 

Our Role 

The NHS Wales Joint Commissioning Committee (NWJCC) processes and manages IPFR applications for specialised services that fall outside the range of services and treatments that are routinely commissioned across Wales. 
Requests are reviewed in line with the NHS Wales IPFR Policy, NWJCC commissioning policies and national guidance such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the All-Wales Medicines Strategy Group (AWMSG). 

An independent panel of clinicians and lay members considers each request to ensure decisions are fair, consistent and evidence based. Patient details remain confidential. 

We work closely with partners across NHS Wales including Health Boards, specialist providers, the All Wales IPFR Panel and the All-Wales Therapeutics and Toxicology Centre (AWTTC) to maintain a robust, national process. 

 


 
Useful documents 

  • Patient Information Leaflet 
    A clear explanation for patients about what an IPFR is, when it is used, how decisions are made and what to expect from the process. 

 

 

Information for patients and carers

IPFRs can only be submitted and discussed by NHS clinicians. If you have questions about whether an IPFR may be appropriate for you, or about an IPFR in progress, please speak to your NHS clinical team or contact your local Health Board.

Patient‑friendly information about IPFRs is available from the All Wales Therapeutics and Toxicology Centre (AWTTC).