IPF: Funding deal has ‘cheated’ pharmacists of £200m

Do we have a statistician in our midst that can calculate the optimum number of items for the mean pharmacy should dispense If it is going to be that the more items we dispense, then the more we lose; would there be any value in putting a cap on the number of items we dispense? And if so, what would that number be. Assuming average overheads?. Even with our contractual obligation; to work and lose money is not a fair contract and should be contested.

I'd also like to ask that while we have been clawed back for profits we shouldn't have earned on Cat M products will we see the mother of all rebates the following year for under payments we have endured over the past several years??

If the Cost of Goods inquiry showed such a shortfall then the DoH is in my opinion is failing their side of the contract and therefor we should be paid for all the underpayments we have had to endure, especially considering the DoH and PSNC alike promised this contract would not be detrimental to pharmacy contractors. But not to worry DoH if I was negotiating I would spread your payments to us out of the next following year so as to not impact your cash reserves to heavily. But alas then I am reminded we have the PSNC negotiating this for us, so we won't see a penny of that lost profit.

Yes we do, in fact most direct to pharmacy lines are dispensed at a loss. Seretide is a ZD line so we don't actually lose here but other items with less than the average 10.25% clawback you will have more money being taken from you by the government than you are actually making.

Surprised?? I'm really not, sorry to sound like a broken record but we are relying on the PSNC to negotiate this for us so I ask you again are you surprised we lose money?

This was the whole reason I gave up on the idea of owning my own pharmacy - 10 years ago ! The commissioned services by and large did not happen so the so called new contract was worthless. We can't turn patients away but no other real world independent business would survive long term with this kind of arrangement.