Benchmark prices for enhanced services may save time and resources
Publication of national benchmark prices for core elements of enhanced services in England may help to save time and resources currently spent on negotiating prices locally.
Chris Town, who chaired the pharmacy contract negotiations on behalf
of the NHS Confederation, told The Journal that
he could see no harm in publishing
some benchmark prices as part of the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating
Committee’s enhanced services pricing toolkit if they were available.
However, he added that he could see no value in having a nationally negotiated
fixed tariff for
enhanced services.
It was originally intended that benchmark prices would be published for
each of the enhanced services but the PSNC has admitted it became apparent
during negotiations that the levels of benchmark prices that the NHS
Confederation would accept were going to be well below some of the prices
currently paid, and below what the PSNC considered reasonable.
In addition, all parties agreed that variation in services would require
local negotiation for each individual modification of the service specification.
Mike Holden, chief executive of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Local Pharmaceutical
Committee, suggested that an indicative price range for the core elements
of a service is needed. “I hate wasting time and resources reinventing
wheels,” he told The Journal. Why have LPCs and multiples calculating
costs for the same enhanced service when some prices for the core elements
could be included within the toolkit, he added.
News feature p443 |
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