This Circular advises community pharmacy contractors that two of the UK-wide Serious Shortage Protocols (SSPs) for Clarithromycin antibiotic

This circular advises of changes to the Drug Tariff with respect to remuneration arrangements for the dispensing pool month of July.

Advance payments are made to support contractor cashflow while actual payment for the prescriptions submitted is calculated.

This Circular advises community pharmacy contractors that the UK-wide active Serious Shortage Protocol (SSP) for Estradot® (estradiol hemihydrate) 100 microgram patches

As touched on in the introduction to pharmacy funding, part of a pharmacy’s income is dependent on the money made on part 7 drug tariff medicines they source and provide on prescription – this profit is often referred to as the margin

This Circular advises community pharmacy contractors that the UK-wide active Serious Shortage Protocol (SSP) for Utrogestan®

Advance payments are made to support contractor cashflow while actual payment for the prescriptions submitted is calculated.

Over the years as the pharmacy contract has changed, different service payments have been joined together into what we now call the Establishment Payment.

The Pharmaceutical Needs Weighting Payment (PNWP) makes the payment for the additional pharmaceutical needs (and associated workload) from age and deprivation characteristics of the people using the pharmacy.

From April 1st, 2023, until September 30th 2023, there is a separate dispensing pool for the dispensing of prescriptions for patients living in care homes.

The Service Efficiency Payment is for achieving a target level of electronic claiming for prescriptions submitted for pricing by Practitioner Services.

Quality and Service Development supports the operation of a service for coeliac patients and the development of a safety culture

The payments for MCR are made using one of the more complex models in our financial package and is based on the number of people registered for the service (capitation model) at the end of a given month.

The NHS Pharmacy First Scotland service has an annualised pool of £30.800m. The service will remunerate contractors for making the service available to their communities (Base element) and for the episodes of care provided in line with service (Activity element).

Circular PCA(P)(2020)16 set out the intention to introduce a combined National Foundation Programme and Independent Prescriber (IP) Career Pathway for community pharmacists.

Scottish Government has agreed to an annualised pool of £1m to support the training of employee Pharmacist Independent Prescribers in community pharmacies. Further details will be provided under a separate circular on arrangements.

To support the Post Registration National Foundation Programme for Newly Qualified Pharmacists, a monthly fee of £1,000 will be made available to the contractor named on the pharmaceutical list on the 1st of each month where the newly qualified pharmacist has joined the PRFP scheme.

The Scottish Government campaign activity for 2023-24 is currently being finalised and a more detailed list for the year will be issued in due course.

The annualised pool of £3.58 million to recognise the work undertaken in the treatment of unscheduled care.

As part of the financial arrangements, from April 2023 contractors will be paid £180 per month as a contribution towards training costs for pharmacy teams.