Breaking News - PSNC Responds to Dept of Health funding letter demanding clarity

PSNC has today said that it is unable to commence negotiations on community pharmacy in 2016/17 until NHS England shares further detail of its longer term plans and the analysis underpinning them.
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Responding to the letter published on 17th December, in which NHS England announced a £170m funding cut and set out other plans for community pharmacy in 2016/17 and beyond, PSNC Chief Executive Sue Sharpe said she feared NHS England was aiming for a larger funding cut in 2017/18 alongside reductions in pharmacy numbers and a drive towards a commoditised supply service, bypassing access to the support and advice available at community pharmacies.

She said the Government was ‘ignoring entirely’ the evidence for the value of commissioning community pharmacy services, and that it appeared to have settled on a ‘course of action that will run counter to its stated ambition to develop a clinically focused pharmacy service’.
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PSNC discussed the content of NHS England’s December 17th letter at its meeting this week (January 12th and 13th). It had asked NHS England for information on its funding allocations for pharmacy for future years ahead of the meeting but this has not been forthcoming. Without this, and lacking further information on NHS England’s plans on pharmacy numbers and increasing the duration of prescriptions,  the Committee felt it was being deprived of information essential for a proper consultation.
Read the full letter from Sue Sharpe below. 

PSNC will host a meeting of LPCs on 20th January 2016 to discuss its response to the Government plans and consultation and is also working collaboratively with the other national pharmacy organisations.  Gateshead & South Tyneside LPC will be attending.

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