So new figures just released show that Shropshire cancer patients are being left to die without vital medication because of the famous postcode lottery we keep hearing so much about. Which is clearly disgraceful, especially after hearing just how high public sector salaries are around here.

But it’s not just cancer patients, unfortunately. One of the five drugs listed as being particularly hard to obtain is Rituxan, a drug normally used to treat Leukaemia.

Rituxan, though, is also used to treat severe Rheumatoid Arthritis and, as it happens, I’m going through the process of applying for funding for it right now.

On paper I fit all the necessary criteria, as set out by NICE, but when I asked my consultant what my chances of actually obtaining treatment were, he shrugged and said we’d just have to wait and see. Reassuring, eh?

But the postcode lottery doesn’t just extend to which drugs are allowed to whom by the Primary Care Trust. People living with serious illness need all sorts of help with daily life too and, unfortunately, these services are also decided on where you live rather than what you need.

Take my recent move to the Powys countryside in search of a home I could access in my wheelchair. I was lucky and found the perfect bungalow for my needs, truly accessible and near to the two most important things in my life — family and hospital. Now, in Shropshire a new homecare system is being introduced for the elderly and disabled, called ‘My Life, My Choice’, which allows the patient to choose the type of help they need to manage at home and when they need it — a revolution in the world of homecare, believe me. But because I now live a few miles over the Powys border where the old system still reigns supreme, I’m unable to access this help. And in its absence, the responsibility yet again falls to my family members — my unpaid carers — to help maintain my independence.

Of course we understand that different councils and Primary Care Trusts have different rules and varying budget allowances to cope with the needs of their particular populace. But when we’re talking about extending people’s lives or giving decent quality of life to those living with horrible disabilities, surely a few miles here or there should not be the deciding factor?

The Department of Health says: “Primary Care Trusts are legally required to fund treatments approved by NICE, subject to any criteria NICE specifies&”

It’s just a shame though, isn’t it, that those falling foul of the postcode lottery often aren’t around long enough to make sure that they do.