Charities in information prescription pilots have warned the scheme risks failure unless it is mandatory and supported by incentives.

The prescriptions, first proposed in the 2006 Our Health, Our Care Our Say white paper, are designed to provide patients with information, addresses, telephone numbers and website details to help them manage their conditions.

The charities want patients to have a right to personalised information under the NHS constitution and for incentives to be set up to ensure information is provided. They say the Department of Health is over-emphasising web information and has not outlined how it will ensure information prescriptions are given out.

The comments come in the wake of publication of an independent evaluation of a DH-run pilot of information prescriptions. The evaluation concluded "high numbers" of patients and carers had found the information useful, with "strong support" for the concept. But Macmillan Cancer Support policy analyst Laura Thomas said that without incentives, information prescriptions were unlikely to be delivered.

Quality and outcomes

Macmillan, which was involved in the pilot, had discussed with the DH adding the prescriptions to the GP quality and outcomes framework or to the payment by results tariff. But the DH had not taken the suggestions up, appearing keen to push web-based solutions via NHS Choices instead, Ms Thomas said. She said the DH had to recognise there would be a cost but all patients with long term conditions should have an information prescription.

She said: "I don't think the support element is coming out strongly enough - it feels very much like it is going to be 'here is your printout, go away'."

Arthritis Care head of policy and campaigns Abigail Page said: "In the NHS constitution it only says the NHS will 'strive' to offer you easily accessible information. We firmly believe that should be a right and we are quite disappointed to see that hasn't come though in the policy."

A DH spokeswoman said incentivisation and implementation of the prescriptions - including in what form they were delivered - would be decided locally. She said: "There are clear benefits to all those involved. Three quarters of patients in the piloting said that the information had made them more confident in managing their condition."

HSJ's Managing Long Term Conditions conference is on 15 October.

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