The two Liverpool doctors who run Liverpool’s NHS homeopathic clinic have called on the head of Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group to have a re-think over plans to close the service within weeks.

A public consultation concludes today on the fate of the clinic in Old Swan, which traces it roots back to the famous Hahnemann Hospital in Hope Street - once one of Britain’s leading homeopathic hospitals.

But the governing body of the unelected Liverpool CCG has already said it wants to cut the £30k a year it allocates to the Old Swan clinic from its £730 million budget.

Liverpool John Moores University has been hired to sift through the consultation responses, to put before the governing body in February, and after that the final decision will be made.

Its supporters, in the city, are convinced that approach taken by the CCG and its GP dominated governing body are a sign that a “do not resuscitate” notice has already been pinned over the clinic.

Homeopaths believe that illness-causing substances can, in minute tinctures, treat people who are unwell; claims that have been dismissed by several studies.

Nevertheless, in a letter to Dr Nadim Fazlani, who chairs the CCG, Woolton GP Dr Hugh Nielsen and his Old Swan clinic colleague, Dr Sue de Lacy, say documents which denounce homeopathy are flawed and have been used to justify ending the modes funding for the Old Swan clinic.

Dr Nielsen says a statement by Dr Fazlani saying: “There is little evidence that homeopathy has a clinical benefit so, as a governing body, our preferred option would be to stop commissioning this service,”   is flawed, as is a document being used by the CCG quoting a Government committee review.

Dr Neilson added the CCG’s use of conclusions of the Government Science and Technology Committee were also impaired because they used evidence from negatively minded witnesses.

Shortly after the Government report was published, an early day motion expressing reservations about its findings was signed by 70 MPs from across the political spectrum, including Birkenhead’s Frank Field and Southport MP John Pugh.  Other signatories included Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn and Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell.

The two homeopathic doctors say the documents should not be relied on to make any decisions about homeopathy in Liverpool. 

The two doctors say the review compiled for Liverpool CCG, which is almost exclusively anti-homeopathy, “provides no basis on which to draw any informed conclusions about clinical research evidence in homeopathy. It is a biased, inaccurate and misleading document of such poor quality it should be withdrawn….”

Dr Nielsen added: “Our experience with Liverpool CCG patients shows that homeopathic treatment can help patients in situations where conventional treatment has failed or has unacceptable side effects; as such it is a valuable therapeutic option and should continue to be commissioned by Liverpool CCG.”

At a CCG engagement meeting in Liverpool earler this month, a show of hands at the end  saw 90pc of those present vote in favour of retaining funding of the service by the CCG.

CCG deadline for comments, Dec 22, and more information, is here.