Independents call for new form of pharmacy contract
Independent pharmacies in England have called for a separate “cognitive services” contract to be added to the NHS pharmacy contract. The
proposed contract would include medicines management; identification
of, and funding for, patients who qualify for extra support under the
Disability Discrimination Act 1995; and improved mechanisms for collaboration
with social care services.
In evidence to Anne Galbraith’s contract review, the Independent
Pharmacy Federation said that its proposed cognitive services contract
could be awarded to accredited existing contractors or granted as a local
pharmaceutical services (LPS) contract to similarly accredited new providers.
The IPF envisages its proposed new contract being paid for from savings
made by reducing admissions to hospital arising from treatment, and by
redirecting current funding for prescribing advice schemes and medicines
use reviews. It believes that savings will also come from reduced social
care and acute care costs.
Apart from this, the IPF said that the existing dispensing contract should
continue, but without any exemptions that damage the pharmacy services
infrastructure and leave primary care trusts powerless to plan or safeguard
services. It added that PCTs should be required to carry out pharmaceutical
needs assessments so that new pharmacies can be positioned where there
is evidence of need. Existing contractors should be given the opportunity
to meet identified needs. If they could not do so, then the contract
should be put out to tender, but awarded on the basis of service-based
bids, not cost.
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