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Letters to the Editor
|
New contract
Anomalies need to be rectified
From Dr A. J. Smith, FRPharmS
I append figures from the latest Prescription Pricing Authority annual
report which give details of the average prescription costs for 2003 to
2004 for both dispensing doctors and pharmacists.
The total cost of dispensing doctors’ prescriptions is higher than
those dispensed by pharmacists, but the most astonishing aspect is that
dispensing doctors still receive on-cost of £1.08 compared with £0.04
for pharmacists. This results in a gross profit percentage for doctors
in excess of 20 per cent compared with approximately 11 per cent for pharmacists
(both professions receive practice allowances).
It is to be hoped that the “new” contract will rectify these
anomalies and result in the gross profit for NHS dispensing at least to
equate with the gross profit of the retail sector.
Average prescription
cost 2003–2004 |
|
Doctors (£) |
Pharmacists
(£) |
Basic price
|
10.284 |
11.733 |
Discount |
–1.133 |
–1.172 |
On-cost allowance |
1.080
|
0.041 |
Fees |
1.233 |
1.225 |
Container allowance |
0.033 |
0.033 |
Additional special
fees |
0.000 |
0.082 |
Special payments |
0.000 |
0.000 |
VAT |
1.363 |
0.046 |
|
|
|
Total cost |
12.860 |
11.988 |
|
Alan J. Smith
Waterperry,
Oxfordshire |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal