Agree on future role before funding decisions
AAH Pharmaceuticals has told the Department of Health that it should
determine the future role of community pharmacy before deciding how
to fund it.
In a response to a consultation on plans to transfer the global sum to
primary care trusts (PJ, 28 July 2007, p89), AAH said: “Decisions concerning
the reform of funding arrangements should not be taken in isolation from
the wider reviews currently taking place. The DoH has stated it will
publish a White Paper on developing pharmacy services and is due to respond
to potential changes to control of entry regulations in the autumn. In
addition, the Darzi review of the NHS and the future of the Pharmaceutical
Price Regulation Scheme are both critical debates which may have significant
implications for pharmacy services and providers.”
AAH group managing director Steve Dunn said: “While on the face
of it transferring funding to PCTs would appear to be simply a technical
matter — and that is how the DoH has positioned it — community
pharmacists are right to be concerned that this could be the first step
towards giving PCTs complete discretion over local pharmacy spend.”
This would be unwelcome, Mr Dunn said, because many PCTs had yet to engage
fully with their pharmacy contractors or to show any desire to do so.
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