The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 268 No 7191 p418
30 March 2002

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A Whitehall farce [more]
Facelift for prison pharmacy services [more]

A Whitehall farce

Next week, nearly all remaining primary care groups in England will become primary care trusts. Pharmacy contracts will continue to be held by health authorities until, later in the year, the legislation is enacted and they combine to form strategic health authorities — at which point pharmacy contracts will move to a PCT.

Meanwhile pharmacy mandarins from the Department of Health have been holding seminars in different parts of the country aimed at helping primary care organisations prepare to submit proposals for local pharmaceutical services (LPS) contracts. There has not been much publicity about them, and it is hard not to come to the conclusion that the Department is not properly prepared. Even now, the Department is still working on the guidelines to help those PCTs wishing to be among the first-wave of LPS contract holders. It aims to publish them in full on its website early in April.

So, be quick. First wave proposals have to be submitted by June and second-wave proposals by November. And if that is not pressure enough, funds for LPS will be shared by central Government (through redistribution of the global sum) and by the local PCT.

Many PCTs are concerned that their prescribing spend is well over budget while others are having to shoulder the debts of health authorities as they slide into oblivion. What chance does LPS have in this climate?

Fledgling PCTs will be struggling to take over commissioning from health authorities. They will want to ensure that the new boards work well and that relationships with acute trusts are productive (among many other challenges they face in the next few months), as well as juggle with their figures. Proposals for LPS are unlikely to be high on their lists of priorities.

The Government was eager to support personal medical services contracts for general practitioners (and, indeed, many doctors in the first wave of PMS contracts were well satisfied by their remuneration) but the same care and attention is not being accorded pharmacists.

Try for a first-wave contract if you know your PCT will fund you prop-erly but otherwise proceed with caution.

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Facelift for prison pharmacy services

Prison services in Scotland and Northern Ireland are benefiting from the fact that pharmacy services are no longer the exclusive responsibility of the prison service, but contracted out to external providers. A news feature describes the benefits that these arrangements are bringing to prison inmates and how there is a chance that, under these new arrangements, the long-term health of this deprived population will be better protected. Let us hope the review of the prison pharmacy service in England and Wales finds a way to improve all prisoners' health.

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