Responses to patient pack dispensing proposals published by DoH
Patient pack dispensing should be introduced in England, but the Government's proposals of how it should be initiated will not work, respondents to the Department of Health consultation on the topic have argued.
In the consultation — “Proposals
to simplify the reimbursement arrangements for NHS dispensing contractors”— the DoH suggested
that reimbursement should be based on the amount prescribed rather than
that dispensed (PJ, 17 September 2005, p329). The summary of responses
to the consultation has been published this week and it reveals that
respondents warned that reimbursing in this way would undermine the intention
of the change. It would, they argued, prompt primary care trusts to encourage
prescribing of amounts below the size of available patient packs. To
avoid losing out financially, contractors would then snip packs, rather
than dispense a patient pack, they said.
The respondents also criticised the DoH suggestion that pharmacists be
allowed to dispense the sub-pack nearest to the quantity prescribed.
They argued that pharmacists should be able to round only to the nearest
pack, as a sub-pack would not contain a patient information leaflet.
The need for rounding discretion would be reduced, however, if pack sizes
were standardised and this would provide a more satisfactory long-term
solution, many respondents suggested. |
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