ABSTRACT
This chapter concerns both ethical and legal considerations. However, resource allocation or rationing is a real and distressing problem. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) considers the use of new technologies in order to be able to advise medical professionals on new treatments which may benefit their patients and also assesses whether procedures are sufficiently safe. The National Health Service Act 2006 (NHS) provides a comprehensive service, available to all irrespective of gender, race, disability, age or sexual orientation. However, the role of NICE is extensive, and despite the impression given by frequent media reports, its role is not limited to whether new drugs should be granted to patients an economic-health analysis. The Quality-Adjusted Life Year (QALY) is used as a means of calculating the cost-effectiveness of a medical procedure. This method is perhaps the most often applied means of calculating healthcare rationing.
