The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 279 No 7474 426
20 October 2007

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PCTs and practice-based commissioners “not up to the job”

Failures in local commissioning are frustrating pharmacy, Steve Williams, chairman of the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies, warned at the association’s annual dinner last week.

The current contract has shown that local commissioning of pharmacy services does not work, he argued. “Primary care trusts and practice-based commissioners are simply not ready, are not capable and, quite frankly, not up to the job,” he insisted. “They do not wish to and are currently incapable of working through the complexities of the funding required to individually price and pay for those services let alone design the services in the first place.”

A national pharmacy contract should be developed which allows PCTs and
practice-based commissioners to pick and choose the services that are appropriate locally, he said.