Payments for next phase of Scottish contract announced
Pharmacy contractors in Scotland will receive new Contract Preparation Payments this year to cover work required for the next stage of their
contract.
The payments will be paid in three phases during 2007–08, with
each phase involving specific tasks. The tasks required for phase 1,
set out this week in an NHS circular (PDF 130K
and PDF 80K), focus on ensuring
the pharmacy’s
patient medication records are accurate. “Accurate and up-to-date
records will be key to pharmacists’ new roles within eAMS [acute
medication service] and especially eCMS [chronic medication service]
to deliver ongoing patient care,” the circular states. It highlights
duplicate records as a particular problem. All active records must contain
the patient’s name, address, postcode, date of birth, Community
Health Index number, exemption status, GP and carer contact details.
The payments will be fixed for each phase. Contractors have been placed
in four bands based on historical remuneration levels to reflect the
level of preparation work needed. The payment for each phase will be £990
for contractors in band 1, £1,272 for band 2, £1,555 for
band 3 and £1,838 for band 4.
The second and third phases will include training on IT, eAMS, eCMS and
clinical issues, plus premises development.
On long-term funding, the circular notes: “The Department and the
Scottish Pharmaceutical General Council [now Community Pharmacy Scotland]
are currently planning on a remuneration regime for 2008–09 which
will involve a gradually declining taper of payments based on current
transitional payments accompanied by a gradually increasing taper of
payments for AMS and CMS that are patient-centred.”
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