The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 277 No 7414 p209
19 August 2006

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Smart card not necessarily needed to claim IT allowance

Community pharmacy contractors in England who have not been issued with smart cards may still be able to claim allowances for the electronic prescription service, NHS Primary Care Contracting has said.

In a statement on its website (PDF 90K), NHS PCC says: “If a contractor has approached a primary care trust or registration authority for a PIN and smartcard, and the PCT or registration authority has not provided them within a reasonable timeframe, it may be considered appropriate if the contractor fulfils the other criteria laid out in Part VIA of the Drug Tariff to being able to operate release 1 of EPS for the contractor to claim and receive the monthly allowance.”

However, it adds that if a PCT can demonstrate that it has taken reasonable steps to issue smart cards to local pharmacists, then it cannot be held responsible for contractors being unable to operate release 1 of EPS, and hence being ineligible for monthly electronic prescription service allowances.