Financial deal to support new contract in Scotland
Community pharmacists in Scotland will this week hear the details of the financial deal that will support their new contract.
The provisional settlement negotiated by the Scottish Pharmaceutical
General Council and the Scottish Executive Health Department is set out
in an NHS circular, published as The Journal went to press. The next
stage will be for the SPGC to seek the endorsement of contractors.
It is a two-part deal: the transfer of £30m from reimbursement
to remuneration and an increase in the global sum. The new global sum — which
is being quoted inclusive of the transferred £30m — is £141.067m.
Putting the transferred sum aside, this represents an increase of 7.8
per cent from the 2005–06 global sum. The £30m comes from
amendments
to part 7 of the Scottish Drug Tariff which have already
been announced (PJ, 1 April, p372).
In recognition of the phased implementation of the new contract, payment
to contractors in 2006–07 will involve a transitional reimbursement
payment (TRP). The TRP will be paid from the £30m transferred from
reimbursement to remuneration and will be calculated on a quarterly basis.
From April 2007, the £30m will be merged into the global sum.
The new contract effectively begins in July when the minor ailment service
becomes operational. So for the interim period from April to June, the
TRP will be calculated for each contractor as 13.25 per cent of the aggregate
gross ingredient cost paid for dispensed items in part 7 of the Drug
Tariff. This effectively neutralises the 13.25 per cent clawback.
For the period July to September, the TRP will be reduced and separate
payments will be made for the minor ailment service and the public health
service (the other core service within the new contract starting this
summer). The basic payments for these two core services will be flat-rate
for all contractors except for part-time essential small pharmacies (which
will receive an adjusted payment). For the minor ailment service the
basic payment is £325.83 per month and for the public health service
it is £718.33 per month. However, both can be increased (see Panel
below). An additional monthly sum of £100 will be paid for infrastructure
support. The reduced TRP figure will be announced later in the year and
will be adjusted in order to reach the total £30m transferred figure.
Banded payments
From July, funding for the minor ailment service is to be banded
according to the number of patients registered on the last date
of the month.
Patients registered |
Monthly payment |
1–250 |
£325.83 |
251–500 |
£488.58 |
501–750 |
£651.42 |
> 750 |
Payment as for previous band plus
an additional 67p per month for
each person registered above 750
patients |
In the two areas that already operate the minor
ailment service – NHS
Tayside and NHS Ayr & Arran — contractors will continue
to receive existing payment for the service from April to June.
Tiered payments are also in place for the public health service.
From October, contractors can receive an additional £314.30
per month if the pharmacy participates in a higher level of service
involving
window displays (PJ, 15 April, p431). |
The
effect of the new arrangements is that the old transitional payment (in
place until 31 March) will be adjusted to reflect the annual growth
in prescription volume (between 1 December 2004 and 30 November 2005)
plus a general uplift of 5 per cent.
Additional funding changes will apply to the pharmaceutical care model
schemes. The palliative care model scheme will become a local service
with funding allocated to NHS boards for the scheme. The model schemes
for the frail elderly and enduring mental illness will be funded by a
flat rate of £98 per month paid to all contractors. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
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