From Mrs G. A. Brown, MRPharmS
SIR,-When is the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee going to do anything about the appalling payment situation. It is a complete fiasco. The advance payment scheme is acceptable for one to two months but not for this length of time and beyond.
The PSNC may say that it is bearable and people are not being disadvantaged and they are doing their best. That is rubbish!
Many contractors, large and small, are now underpaid by thousands of pounds and, although some are able to cope, there are many now who are having to pay arrangement fees for new overdraft facilities, paying the interests on these overdrafts. If we do try to help ourselves by contacting anyone and everyone, we find they will listen but nobody will do anything. As usual, we are on our own.
Just how much is owed? Wales has not even priced September's prescriptions, the pricing bureau in Cardiff has actually priced two areas but because someone has not done the statistics for August, no payment has been made. I find that disgusting. It is our money. Contractors in Wales should find out if their health authority area has been priced and if so, ask why the money is not in their bank accounts, not the National Health Service's.
If thousands are owed to contractors, levies have not been paid to local pharmaceutical committees, so they are owed tens of thousands. Just how much money is sitting in the NHS budget. What about the interest these millions are earning? I think it is time the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee came into the real world and did something. It should start asking contractors what they want. We do have ideas which could give more accurate payments and it is about time we had at least some of our interest paid. Why must we be disadvantaged once again.
The fiasco does not only affect the single-handed contractor but even organisations such as Boots, Lloyds, Moss, etc. Is it not about time we used our weight together for some action?
The PSNC will expect its levies on April 1. All LPCs have cash-flow problems, so I think the PSNC should expect delayed payments as well. I hope LPCs will think seriously about delaying levy payments until something is done.
Personally, I feel the PSNC should have one objective at present, namely, to ensure all contactors are paid the monies they are legally owed now, not in 12 months' time. My accountant and bank manager have both asked me how I am expected to run a business this way and how the big companies are going to inform the Stock Exchange of their yearly figures when they do not even know them. We are being very badly let down by everyone, including an inept Government.
Gail Brown
Wrexham, Clwyd
Mr STEPHEN AXON (general secretary, Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee) replies: Mrs Brown may be assured that both the PSNC and the Welsh Central Pharmaceutical Committee have been doing everything possible, over the past months, to attempt to resolve pricing arrears both in England and Wales. The matter was considered, at length, at the PSNC meeting earlier this month.
The Prescription Pricing Authority in England has implemented a "recovery plan" which should bring pricing fully to up to date by the end of 2001.
Representatives from the WCPC, supported by the PSNC, have met the officers of the Welsh Assembly and expressed the extreme concern of pharmacy contractors in Wales at the situation in the Welsh pricing authority which has resulted in a build-up of arrears in pricing. More important, the options for bringing pricing up to date have been considered. The proposed solutions have been considered by the PSNC and WCPC and, as this letter goes to press, meetings are being held in Cardiff with all the contractor interests (multiple and independent), the WCPC and officers of the Welsh Assembly in order to attempt to resolve the very difficult problem.
Contractors in England and Wales have, in the interim, received enhanced advance payments which will be continued and they should not, therefore, "be underpaid by thousands of pounds".