Unclaimed money from MURs should be reinvested, says NPA

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The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 277 No 7420 p384
30 September 2006

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Unclaimed money from MURs should be reinvested, says NPA

Chris Rose

MUR service

MUR service needs to be promoted

Money that was allocated to fund medicines use reviews but that has not been claimed should be reinvested to help further develop the service, according to the National Pharmacy Association.

The issue was discussed at a recent meeting of the NPA board. The discussions highlighted the fact that contractors are finding it difficult to incorporate MURs into everyday practice and hence to meet targets. It suggested that increasing the threshold to 400 reviews per year might not be the best way to move forward at this stage.

As well as reinvesting the unclaimed money to develop the service further through extra training and research, it should be used to fund a campaign to raise awareness of the value of MURs among GPs and the public.

NPA guide The benefits of consultation areas are highlighted in guidance published by the National Pharmacy Association. Two guides have been produced, one for Scotland and one for England and Wales. NPA members can access the guides by contacting the NPA or by downloading them from the NPA website.