Pharmaceutical Needs Payment
Published: 05/09/23
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.
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.
For each contractor the following has been identified:
Proportion of dispensing patients aged 60 or over
The percentage of dispensing patients with postcodes in the two most deprived quintiles according to the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD)
These two factors are combined to produce a combined index for each pharmacy.
For example, a pharmacy may have between 65% and 75% of their patients under 60 years (age index 1.2) and between 60% and 80% of patients with their postcode in the most deprived quintiles (SIMD index 1.4). The combined index is calculated as the average of the 2 so for this pharmacy the combined index is 1.3.
The combined index for every pharmacy across Scotland is calculated and each pharmacy will then receive a proportional share from the PNWP pool which is a monthly pool of £0.320 million (£3.845 million per year)
| Age | Age Index | SIMD | SIMD Index |
|---|---|---|---|
| 75% or more of patients under 60 years | 1 | 40% or less of patients with postcode in the two most deprived quintiles | 1 |
| Between 65% and 75% of patients under 60 years | 1.2 | Between 40% and 60% of patients with postcode in the most deprived quintiles | 1.2 |
| Between 65% and 75% of patients under 60 years, with more 75+ than 60-74% | 1.3 | Between 40% and 60% of patients with postcode in the most deprived quintiles, and more in the most deprived quintile | 1.3 |
| Between 55% and 65% of patients under 60 years | 1.4 | Between 60% and 80% of patients with postcode in the most deprived quintiles | 1.4 |
| Between 55% and 65% of patients under 60 years, with more 75+ than 60-74% | 1.5 | Between 60% and 80% of patients with postcode in the most deprived quintiles and more in the most deprived quintile | 1.5 |
| Between 45% and 55% of patients under 60 years | 1.6 | Between 80% and 90% of patients with postcode in the most deprived quintiles | 1.6 |
| Between 45% and 55% of patients under 60 years, with more 75+ than 60-74% | 1.7 | Between 80% and 90% of patients with postcode in the most deprived quintiles and more in the most deprived quintile | 1.7 |
| Between 35% and 45% of patients under 60 years | 1.8 | More than 90% of patients with postcode in the most deprived quintiles | 1.8 |
| Less than 35% of patients under 60 years | 2 | More than 90% of patients with postcode in the most deprived quintiles and more in the most deprived quintile | 2 |
Contractors added to the pharmaceutical list between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024 inclusive will receive a proxy monthly Pharmaceutical Needs Weighting Payment calculated using a combined index of 1.0.
Advance payments are made to support contractor cashflow while actual payment for the prescriptions submitted is calculated.