The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 280 No 7503 p624
24 May 2008

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• New professional body
• Fitness to practise
• Medicines use reviews (MURs)
• Workload
• Disciplinary procedures
• Ergocalciferol
• Furosemide
• Ophthalmology

Letters to the Editor

Medicines use reviews (MURs)

Some claims are fraudulent

From Miss B. E. Pawulska, MRPharmS

I was interested in the comments by the anonymous employee pharmacist (PJ, 10 May 2008, p567). As a primary care trust pharmaceutical adviser, I have heard similar stories from locums and agree with Anonymous that some medicines use review claims are fraudulent.

I have been told that MUR fees are claimed for advising a patient to take flucloxacillin on an empty stomach, or explaining how to use nystatin mouthwash. Surely, this sort of advice is an essential service.

The PCT has to pay for this activity, but has no way of ensuring quality. Under contract monitoring arrangements, only a small number of previously anonymised MUR forms can be shown to the PCT pharmacist. My guess is that these would not include examples such as those mentioned above.

Barbara Pawulska
Emsworth, Hampshire

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