Concerns raised about out-of-hours funding
PCOs must decide if out-of-hours pharmacy services are a priority |
Pharmacy contractors in Wales have been told that local health boards do not have the funds to pay for pharmacy out-of-hours rotas, according to the Company Chemists Association. The problem came to light at a
recent meeting of the CCA board.
However, Peter Haydn Jones, chief executive of Community Pharmacy Wales,
told The Journal that funding for out-of-hours services was not a problem. “At
the March meeting of the new community pharmacy contract project implementation
board the Welsh Assembly Government confirmed that funding for rotas
is available in Wales and would continue into the new financial year,” he
said. “It was also agreed that the status quo for rotas, and other
non cash-limited budgets, would remain until 1 July 2005.”
He added that CPW will seek a revision of the scale of payments for out-of-hours
rotas at the next project implementation board meeting in May.
The CCA says that feedback from local pharmaceutical committee representatives
suggests that contractors in England are experiencing similar problems.
Alastair Buxton, head of NHS services at the Pharmaceutical Services
Negotiating Committee, said that theoretically the money is available
for these services, but primary care trusts have to prioritise how they
spend their funds.
The CCA says that it is concerned that primary care organisations do
not view pharmacy as part of the solution to the problem of providing
out-of-hours care.
Out-of-hours resource The National Pharmaceutical Association and
the PSNC have launched a document to help NPA members and local pharmaceutical
committees to understand the medicines supply recommendations made
following the Carson review. Copies are expected to be available
on the NPA and PSNC websites.
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