Detail on new pharmacy contract in two months
Community pharmacists have two months to wait until they hear exactly what will be in their new contract. The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee confirmed this week that roadshows about the detail of the new contract will start after Easter.
The roadshows will be scheduled in a number of locations once the basis
of the
new contract has been agreed between the PSNC, Department of Health and
NHS Confederation.
The roadshows should all take place over a three-to-four week period
and the PSNC aims to hold them on Sundays to make it easier for contractors
to attend. “After that there will be a ballot when we will ask
contractors to vote on the new contract,” explained Sue Sharpe,
chief executive of the PSNC. “But we cannot ask contractors to
vote until they know what the implications for them are.” This
is what will be explained during the roadshows. Mrs Sharpe emphasised: “We
will ensure that we present the proposals so that contractors can calculate
the income they would get before they cast their votes.”
One suggestion for how contractors will be paid is for volume banding
for essential services. This means, for example, that a contractor dispensing
3,000 items a month might be in a higher payment band than a contractor
dispensing 2,000 items a month.
If the new contract is accepted, final amendments will be made and then
implementation should begin in the autumn. However, Barry Andrews, chairman
of the PSNC, warned: “The Government will try to get pharmacy on
the cheap. That’s how it works.” So he told contractors: “If
it is not right, vote against it.” |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal