Some £12.2 million will be added to medicine margin in the next two financial quarters, (October to March) although retained margin stays at £800 million, pharmacy negotiator the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee has said, announcing the arrangements for the third year of the five-year pharmacy contract funding deal.
Other aspects of the deal that affect dispensing GPs include a pledge to restart discussions with the DHSC over reimbursement reforms that include the following:
- Category A price setting methodology
- medicine margin distribution through Category M
- Category C price setting for drugs with multiple suppliers
- Non-Part VIIIA drug price setting
- Reimbursement and procurement of ‘specials’
- Reimbursement of generically prescribed drugs and appliances dispensed as ‘specials’
- Changes to the deduction scale.
Other aspects of the deal which may affect dispensing GPs include:
- Changing the NHS Regulations to include a pandemic provision
- Amending the market entry provisions so that NHSE&I may refuse any application that results in an oversupply of Essential services, including those seeking only a minor increase in opening hours
- Discussions to start on the regulation of dispensing and supply of medicines, including hub and spoke dispensing.
For pharmacies there are additions to the Advanced Services portfolio including:
- 13 new conditions added to the New Medicine Service
- Hypertension case-finding
- Smoking cessation advanced services.