The announcement from Government concerning community pharmacy funding is very disappointing but came as no surprise. This must be of significant and understandable concern to pharmacy contractors, particularly those in the independent sector for whom this will be a challenging period.
We have written a summary of the proposed changes and what they could mean, this can be accessed by clicking here.
In our recent Viewpoint item (October 16, below) we suggested some actions that contractors should consider to take back some control in these difficult times. Now that we know more detail, each of these actions are even more critical.
Alongside changes to remuneration and reimbursement funding, the Government announced a new Quality Payment scheme within the global sum but not directly linked to Essential or Advanced services. This scheme enables contractors to earn payments linked to the achievement of up to 100 points, 20 of which are for becoming a Healthy Living Pharmacy (HLP); the 20 points are worth £1280 per annum. Pharmacy Complete have created a quick guide to the Quality Payment Scheme with some solutions to achieve the gateway and quality criteria which is available here.
We are pleased to see that those contractors who have and are investing in becoming an HLP can now see some return within the contractual framework in addition to that which many have also benefitted from through improved staff productivity, patient loyalty and locally commissioned services amongst others.
Pharmacy Complete will support you to become an HLP from start to finish, including a Complete HLP workbook to guide you through the Quality Criteria and self-declaration process, a distance learning Health Champion course and in-pharmacy assessment, a leadership course and a number of support tools to ensure that the benefits of being an HLP are optimised. The investment to become an HLP is far less than the annual payment. The benefits go beyond the payment but it is important to have this as funding and margins on supply are squeezed further.
Have a look at our Complete HLP offer on the website by clicking here or connect with us for more information.
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