News

22 March 2016, Alisa Colquhoun, Dispensing Doctor

The Department of Health has updated the reimbursement prices of three lines:

The price concession only applies to the month that it is granted.

• Bumetanide 1mg tablets
• Desmopressin 10micrograms/dose nasal spray
• Flecainide 100mg tablets

No additional endorsements are required for price concessions.

Further coverage on the community pharmacy funding cuts can be found on Chemist and Druggist, The National Pharmacy Association and Pharmacy Biz.

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22 March 2016, National Pharmacy Association

New research conducted for the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has found that other health services could come under more pressure if the Government proceeds with plans to cut investment in local pharmacies.

The research, based on a survey of 2,000 people shows:

•             Two in five people would go their GP if it became more difficult to access their local pharmacy for the treatment of common conditions

•             Over a million people nationwide would go to A&E or other urgent care

The research also shows that two in three people use a pharmacy at least once a month and that 36% of the adult population has received advice on how to get best use of their medicines in the past six months. Most pharmacists offer confidential advice in a consulting room and 28% of the people surveyed said they had received such advice.

The research has been conducted during a Department of Health consultation on Community Pharmacy in 2016/17 and Beyond. The proposals include reduced NHS funding and encouragement for warehouse dispensing and online supply of medicines. The Government has admitted that up to 3000 pharmacies could close.

Ian Strachan, Chairman of the NPA said:

“The research confirms how much people really value the face-to-face advice they get at local pharmacies. It also shows that if you reduce people’s access to such advice, that simply puts extra pressure on GPs and hospitals, which are already stretched. The Department of Health says it wants efficiencies, yet its plans for pharmacy would build inefficiencies into the system.”

A campaign petition has already gathered 200,000 signatures from concerned patients. The petition urges the Prime Minister and the Health Secretary to abandon plans that put pharmacy services at risk.

Government refuses to accept its consultation is flawed

22 March 2016, Pharmacy Biz

The prospect of the pharmacy profession launching legal action against the government moved a step closer after ministers dug their heels in and refused to recognise that its consultation on funding cuts and austerity measures is flawed.

In a letter sent by lawyers representing the government to the law practice Charles Russell Speechlys, the government said it rejected the idea that the consultation, which was recently extended by two months, was not properly conducted.

The pharmacy profession has been up in arms over the controversial plans to cut pharmacy funding by 6% and introduce a hub and spoke dispensing model. But it is the way the consultation has been run which has caused particular consternation within pharmacy.

There is a widespread feeling that the government failed to give the pharmacy profession an adequate opportunity to respond and eight clients belonging to Charles Russell Speechlys indicated they were ready to take the government to court to challenge the validity of the consultation.

David Reissner, a partner at Charles Russell Speechlys, said the letter proved ministers had “not satisfactorily addressed”  issues over the validity of the consultation as highlighted in a letter sent by the law practice to the government on March 4.

“I received late on Friday afternoon a response from the government’s lawyers. It is a detailed letter,” Reissner said.

“The government refuses to accept that its “consultation” is flawed. My initial view is that the government has not satisfactorily addressed the case we set out in the letter sent to the minister on 4 March.”