The Department of Health and Social Care's (DHSC) response to the 2019 consultation on community pharmacy drug reimbursement reform has paved the way for the second phase of consultation with the pharmacy negotiator.
The second round of the consultation will focus on eight proposals:
Changes to the way Category A prices are set
Changes to how medicine margin is distributed in Category M drugs
Changes to how Category C prices are set for drugs with multiple suppliers
Inclusion of non-medicinal products in the Drug Tariff
Changes to the way prices of drugs in non-Part VIIIA are set
Changes to arrangements for reimbursement and procurement of 'specials'
Changes to reimbursement of generically prescribed drugs and appliances dispensed as 'specials'
Changes to the discount deduction scale
The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee has been discussing these proposals with the DHSC and the outcome was featured in the final package of the
'Community pharmacy in 2016/17 and beyond' document.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) will introduce new arrangements for the setting of Drug Tariff Category A reimbursement prices from April 2024.
Driven by ministers, DHSC's decision aims to equalise access to margin on Category A medicines and it's part of a series of drug reimbursement reforms proposed by
the department following a public consultation in 2019.
Currently, prices of medicines in Category A are subject to monthly adjustment. From 1 April 2024, these will be updated quarterly based on sales and volume data
obtained by DHSC under the Health Service Products (Provision and Disclosure of Information) Regulations 2018. The transition will conclude in July 2025 when the reimbursement prices will be exclusively determined by the new method.
Advance notice for contractors regarding the 'new arrangements' has been outlined on the NHSBSA website.
However, Community Pharmacy England (CPE) did not support the introduction of the changes at this time as pharmacies are currently grappling with "wider challenges"
and there is uncertainty about the potential impact of these changes on the already "turbulent" medicines supply chain
Addressing the recent announcement made by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to claw back £9 million per month from community pharmacy
contractors, the Chairman of Numark, Harry McQuillan has expressed deep concerns over the financial implications on the sector.
The claw back follows an error in the July calculations of Category M medicine prices, which led to increase in the reimbursements made to community pharmacies.
Beginning August, the DHSC is set to claw back the amount.
McQuillan criticised the decision, highlighting the severe strain it places on already financially vulnerable community pharmacies.
Calling it "a severe blow to an already financially strained sector", McQuillan emphasised that the additional burden has the potential to threaten the viability
of many pharmacies.
"Community pharmacies are the frontline of our healthcare system, by penalising these pharmacies for an error not of their making, the Department of Health is
jeopardising the foundation of local healthcare delivery," McQuillan criticised.
Addressing the recent announcement made by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to claw back £9 million per month from community pharmacy
contractors, the Chairman of Numark, Harry McQuillan has expressed deep concerns over the financial implications on the sector.
The claw back follows an error in the July calculations of Category M medicine prices, which led to increase in the reimbursements made to community pharmacies.
Beginning August, the DHSC is set to claw back the amount.
McQuillan criticised the decision, highlighting the severe strain it places on already financially vulnerable community pharmacies.
Calling it "a severe blow to an already financially strained sector", McQuillan emphasised that the additional burden has the potential to threaten the viability
of many pharmacies.
"Community pharmacies are the frontline of our healthcare system, by penalising these pharmacies for an error not of thei
Any prescription for Promethazine hydrochloride 10mg tablets x 56 submitted for payment to the NHSBSA for July 2022 will be reimbursed at the new price of
£17.77 not as per the price concession of £13.45 announced in the 4th concessions update published on 29 July 2022, said the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating
Committee (PSNC).
In July 2022, PSNC received several reports from contractors unable to obtain Promethazine hydrochloride 10mg tablets (56) at the published Drug Tariff price of
£4.24.
Therefore, it submitted a request for a price concession, which was granted and subsequently published but this was later withdrawn after confirmation from the
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) that due to the price change mechanism, the reimbursement price for Promethazine hydrochloride 10mg tablets has
increased from £4.24 to £17.77 for July 2022.
PSNC said, "Following the price change mechanism rules, for generic drugs (excluding drugs in Category M), a price change up to and including the 8th of the month
takes effect for prescriptions dispensed in that same month. Any price change after the 8th takes place in the following month."