High Court backs NHS decision to stop funding homeopathy

A decision to stop NHS funding for homeopathy has been upheld by a High Court judge.

The British Homeopathic Association (BHA) brought a legal challenge against NHS England's decision, made in November last year, to stop paying the £92,000 annual cost of homeopathic remedies.

But, following a four-day hearing in London in May, Mr Justice Supperstone dismissed the BHA's case in a ruling on Tuesday.

Simon Stevens, head of the NHS, welcomed the decision, describing the legal action as "costly and spurious".

NHS England issued guidance in November last year that GPs should not prescribe "homeopathic treatments" as a new treatment for any patient.

The guidance also stated GPs should be "supported in de-prescribing" such remedies for all patients who were receiving them at that time.

The body issued the guidance as part of a drive to save £141 million a year by no longer prescribing 18 treatments deemed to be of "low clinical effectiveness" - including homeopathy and herbal treatments.

It defined homeopathy as "the treatment of patients with highly diluted substances that are administered orally" in its guidance to clinical commissioning groups.

In a report ahead of the guidance, NHS England's board identified homeopathy as an item where there was a "lack of robust evidence of clinical effectiveness".