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Hair Loss News Archives
January 2010
NHS Chiefs spend £4 million on wigs
The main reason for getting wigs through the NHS is cancer, or treatment for alopecia
Jan 2010
Bosses at NHS
Scotland have given
the approval to
spend £4 million on
wigs.
Four Scots companies
have won the
lucrative contract
to supply the
Scottish NHS with
hairpieces, as well
as wig cleaning and
repair services.
The firms – one
based in Glasgow and
three in the Capital
– will supply NHS
Scotland with wigs
for four years.
The contract, which
has been published
on the Scottish
Government’s
procurement website,
describes the
contract as being
“for the Supply of
Wigs to NHS Scotland
covering the range
of custom made and
stock human hair
wigs, modacrylic
wigs, wig repairs
and cleaning &
redressing of wigs.”
Each firm was
assessed according
to strict criteria –
quality and cost of
supply – both worth
40% – and delivery
and service – worth
10% each.
The wigs are
supplied to NHS
Scotland primarily
to deal with
patients losing
their hair as a
side-effect of
powerful treatments.
A spokesman for
National Services
Scotland said: “The
main reason for
getting wigs through
the NHS is cancer,
or treatment for
alopecia.
“They are also quite
often used for burns
victims as well.”
“The £4 million
figure is based on
both historic and
projected spending,
and also reflects
the cost of the wigs
involved.
“An acrylic wig can
cost anything
between £60 and
£100, and ones with
custom-made human
hair can be anything
from £300-£700.
“They’re all issued
through
prescriptions via a
clinician, which
means in Scotland
they’re free for all
in and
out-patients.”
Lynn Barton, of LA
Hair Solutions,
Morningside, is one
of four salons
across the country
to get money from
the £4 million pool.
The salon takes a
cast of patients’
heads and creates
both acrylic and
real-hair wigs for
cancer and alopecia
patients.
Ms Barton, whose
salon has won the
contract for the
first time, said of
the contract: “We
are confident it
will have a positive
effect on our
business.”
Julia Frater, Cancer
Research UK’s senior
cancer information
nurse, said that
wigs played on
“important role” in
helping people
recover from the
side effects of
treatment.
She said:
“Unfortunately some
treatments for
cancer have side
effects and certain
chemotherapy drugs
can cause temporary
hair loss.
“We believe it’s
vital that patients
receive the care and
support they need to
help them cope with
these side effects,
and the provision of
wigs can play an
important role in
this.”