The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 279 No 7478 p549
17 November 2007

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Pharmacists oppose transfer of global sum to PCTs

Pharmacy representatives have opposed a proposal to transfer responsibility for pharmacy remuneration in England from the Department of Health to primary care trusts (PJ, 28 July 2007, p89). NHS organisations have supported it and have indicated their desire to be more closely involved with negotiations over payment for services.

A DoH report on responses to the consultation shows a clear division of view on the proposal to transfer responsibility for the money, but agreement from both sides that fees and allowances to be met from the global sum should continue to be set by the DoH in negotiation with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee.

Pharmacy respondents were concerned that PCTs might appropriate pharmacy funds to meet national priorities if they were not ring-fenced, that PCTs with financial problems might implement measures that jeopardised services and that local pharmaceutical committees would not have the capacity to monitor the situation.

The consensus of PCTs was that it was right to transfer the global sum. But despite accepting that fees should be set nationally, they took the view that there was no point in devolution if they were unable to negotiate what they were paying for.

They also expressed concern that the proposal had been made in isolation of a forthcoming White Paper on pharmacy, that implementation in April 2009 was too soon and that charging costs to the PCT of origin would cause problems for PCTs with mobile populations.