Contract funding negotiations delayed because of health minister's resignation
Negotiations for funding of the community
pharmacy contract for 2006–07 in England and Wales have been delayed following the resignation of health minister Jane Kennedy, the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee revealed at its May committee meeting.
“The new health minister with responsibility for pharmacy, Andy
Burnham MP, will need to get up to speed on the new contract and its
funding
before a conclusion is reached,” it said. Funding negotiations
started towards the end of the first year of the contract and are continuing.
They include application of the funding formula and calculation of purchase
profit income.
It is likely that the final proposed funding package will be put to the
minister at the same time as a decision needs to be made on the results
of a second invoice inquiry of 42 independent contractors conducted by
the PSNC in February. The Department of Health will use the results of
the invoice inquiry to deliver the £500m guaranteed funding in
purchase profits and, consequently, adjustments will be made to reimbursement,
said the PSNC.
VAT HM Revenue & Customs has determined that contractors
will be liable to pay
VAT on specified services, such as signposting
and waste
collection (PJ,
8 April, p407), from the date on which they started providing the services. |
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