New scheme announced for essential small pharmacies
Community pharmacies currently in the Essential Small Pharmacy Scheme
for England (PDF 80K) must tell their primary care trusts by 30 September
and complete a formal application by 31 October if they want to transfer
to the replacement Essential Small Pharmacy Local Pharmaceutical Services
contracts next year.
Any that fail to do so will be transferred to normal pharmaceutical services
contracts on 1 April 2006 and lose their special financial support.
Pharmacies that dispense between 6,000 and 26,400 prescription items
a year and are more than 1km from any other pharmacy by the nearest practicable
pedestrian route will be eligible for an ESPLPS contract. They will receive
monthly NHS remuneration at a fixed rate that has not yet been determined
(currently they receive up to £4,078 a month), plus their drug
costs.
All pharmacies currently in the ESPS scheme that dispense fewer than
6,000 items a year are to be reviewed and will only be allowed an ESPLPS
contract if they are deemed necessary for the proper provision of pharmaceutical
services.
All pharmacies in the new scheme will be required to provide the seven
essential services under the new contract — dispensing, repeat
dispensing, disposal of unwanted medicines, health promotion, self-care
support, signposting and clinical governance. They will also be able
to provide advanced services and enhanced services, if contracted to
do so by their PCTs. Any that exceed the 26,400 item threshold will be
switched to standard
contracts. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
Acrobat
Reader