NHS England has published further guidance on the Quality Payment (QP) Scheme for community pharmacists which is intended to ease the pressure faced by GP practices whilst also improving the care of patients.
A brief background
As part of changes to the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) in 2017/18, the Department of Health (DH) introduced the QP Scheme, which commenced in December 2016. Although participation is purely voluntary, the PSNC has recommended that all contractors try to meet as many of the quality criteria as possible. Those contractors who do meet the requirements will receive additional funding as part of a £75m budget that forms part of the overall community pharmacy funding budget of £2.592 billion.
Quality Payments
On the 27th February, NHS England published guidance on its quality criteria in which contractors earn ‘points’. These points will enable the contractors to be eligible for the QP. However, there are four gateway criteria that need to be met in order to be able to start collecting the points.
Scott Sanderson, Partner and Healthcare Specialist at Hawsons, had this to say: “The scheme should be regarded as good news for the sector, with potentially £12,800 of additional funding available per annum for each pharmacy.”
Scott Sanderson
Scott Sanderson began his career with Hawsons and trained as a Chartered Accountant, becoming a partner in 2015, specialising in the healthcare sector and small businesses. For more details and advice, please contact Scott on ss@hawsons.co.uk or 0114 266 7141.[/author_info]
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