The Pharmaceutical Journal Vol 264 No 7093 p611
April 22, 2000 News

PSNC supports NPA on EHC

The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee has adopted a similar position to the National Pharmaceutical Association on the supply of emergency hormonal contraception through pharmacies. Both are backing supply of prescription only medicines free of charge through pharmacies under patient group directions (group protocols).
The PSNC reached its decision after a "long and emotive" debate on the subject at its meeting on April 12. The committee took into account a number of views during the debate. These included the decision by the NPA board (PJ, April 1, p498) and the backing of the Parliamentary All-Party Pharmacy Group (PJ, March 4, p354).
The PSNC considered that it was essential that EHC should be supplied free of charge in order to avoid the situation where some patients in deprived areas might be put off obtaining EHC because of the prescription charge. The committee felt, in particular, that arrangements were needed to prevent use of EHC as a regular form of contraception.
Other matters considered at the PSNC's April meeting follow.

Oxygen The PSNC was concerned that the National Health Service Executive had imposed the same allocations for domiciliary oxygen services on health authorities for 2000-01 as they received for 1999-2000. The PSNC's oxygen working party was preparing a submission to the Department of Health's review of domiciliary oxygen. The PSNC said that it wanted allocation to be based on actual usage. NHS modernisation The chairman of the PSNC (Mr Wally Dove) and the chairman of the NPA (Mr Kirit Patel) sent a joint letter to the Secretary of State for Health (Mr Alan Milburn) expressing their concern that no representative of pharmacy was included in the action teams for the NHS modernisation programme, calling it a "significant omission".

PSNC expresses concern over oxygen allocations

Patient group directions A response had been sent to the Medicines Control Agency regarding the review of the prescribing, supply and administration of medicines (MLX 260). The PSNC expressed concern about the wide drafting of the amended legislation in respect of patient group directions. It wanted to see guidance which would "limit the situations where such group directions might be issued to the exceptional, rather than open a general route of supply bypassing the community pharmacist".
LPCs conference The first quarterly report to LPCs on the actions being taken by the PSNC in response to motions at the LPC representatives' conference had been sent out.
Clawback The revised clawback scale from April would show a reduction of 1.24 per cent at all levels.
Remuneration An offer from the NHSE was received on April 13 and was being considered by the PSNC's negotiating team.