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The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 269 No 7207 p87
20 July 2002

Related websites
PSNC (www.psnc.org.uk)

PSNC foresees problems with draft LPS rules as bids are delayed

Draft regulations for local pharmaceutical services (LPS) pilots have a serious flaw, according to the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee.

It believes that they fail to provide all LPS providers with full rights to return to pharmacy contractor status if they want to do so. In particular, the PSNC says that where a number of contractors join forces to provide a single LPS service there seems to be only a single right to return to a standard pharmaceutical services (PhS) contract.

The draft regulations and accompanying guidelines make it clear that contractors could run the risk of losing their PhS contracts entirely if they do not plan LPS pilots carefully.

The guidelines state: "Where more than one PhS contractor joins together to provide LPS, whether as a single LPS provider or as multiple LPS providers, the number of rights of return will be limited to the number of premises from which PhS was provided or the number of premises from which LPS is to be provided, whichever is the smaller."

LPS decisions The approval of applications to run LPS pilot schemes is likely to be delayed. The Department of Health's LPS implementation manager, Theresa Prendergast, said on 16 July that applications that had been received before the 28 June deadline were being processed but that there was no timetable for handing them to the health ministers for approval.

"We're trying to move it on as quickly as possible, but the timetable has had to be changed," she said.

The original timetable has been disrupted by the appointment of David Lammy in place of Hazel Blears as Minister responsible for pharmacy.

Ms Prendergast said that the number of applications has been in line with expectations and that a greater number were expected by the second deadline in November. The Journal understands that applications were still in single figures one week before the first deadline.

Seminars are expected to be held in the autumn so that the first tranche of LPS providers can share their experiences.