LIFT services given the third degree
The implementation of NHS local improvement
finance trusts (LIFT) has been scrutinised
by the House of Commons Committee
of Public Accounts in a report published this
month.
In its report (PDF,
945K), the committee calls for LIFT to be more transparent, especially
with regard
to business cases put forward by primary care
organisations to justify the degree of subsidy
offered to different tenants. It also suggests
that the Department of Health should work
quickly to develop mechanisms for evaluating
the value for money of LIFT, and make these
mechanisms public.
Furthermore, primary care organisations
are urged to compare the cost of LIFT with
alternative contractors, and set out clearly the
implications of this spending on the funding
of other primary care services.
According to the report, some independent
pharmacies have said they were reluctant
to bid for LIFT tenancies because they perceived
that contracts would likely go to large
pharmacy groups, which would have no desire
to form a consortium for pharmacy services.
However, the report highlights a
consortium of local independent pharmacies
that provides pharmacy services from the
Church Road LIFT development in East
London. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
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