Potential income from medicines use reviews set to increase
The number of medicines use reviews (MURs) that community pharmacists can carry out under the new contract is expected to increase by the end of the year, the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee has revealed.
Under the original contract agreement drawn up with the Department of
Health there was a maximum limit of 200 on the number of MURs an individual
pharmacy could carry out each year as an advanced service.
Speaking at the National Association of Co-operative Executive Pharmacists
conference in Stratford-upon-Avon last week, PSNC chief executive Sue
Sharpe said: “The headroom on medicines use reviews will go up.
There is a cap on the number at 200: that will go up. I am confident
that there will be an increase before Christmas.”
She explained that under the current funding arrangements a pharmacy
is paid £4,600 for carrying out the maximum number of MURs. But
that income will rise to reflect the changes to the original MUR cap.
She added: “We can look comfortably to being able to have £6,000–£7,000
income from those MURs even in the course of this year.”
The MUR is part of the advanced services option in the new contract and
Mrs Sharpe said this is where the profession should be focusing. Her
views were shared by PSNC head of NHS services Alastair Buxton. He told
The Journal: “Without wishing to sound crude, this is money at
the door. But I am not prepared to put a figure on it.” He explained
that it was always intended that the original MUR cap would be reviewed.
He said: “We always said it was a conservative estimate.”
Mr Buxton said the PSNC was “constantly” looking at the new
contract and reviewing it with the DoH. He said: “We are only six
months in and there are always lessons to be learned.” But he said
no other changes were on the horizon. |
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