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'Save me £200,000', commissioner tells pharmacists

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'Save me £200,000', commissioner tells pharmacists
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26/04/12 14:29
I fell quite depressed reading this and am not sure that my good friend Howard would have spoken in these terms in his role as Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Pharmacy group.

This article just highlights how unlevel the playing field is - Stoatey claims that pharmacists have to prove their worth and whilst I agree with this general sentiment it must also be recognised that GPs have never had to prove their worth in financial terms. Therefore they will simply continue to commission each other because they think that they can do the job best.

I agree with Sue Sharpe inasmuch as we have to engage with commissioners (at clinical and local authority level) but if she thinks GPS have changed then she is living in cloud cuckoo land.
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'Save me £200,000', commissioner tells pharmacists
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26/04/12 21:38as a reply to Sandra Gidley.
It is foolish to set minimum savings at £200k. The constituent GP practices in a CCG would not be expected to meet this minimum criteria. Have commissioners never heard the saying "look after the pennies and then the pounds will look after themselves". Pharmacists should engage with commissioners but they will have to come up with proposals for services that meet the Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention (QIPP) criteria, add to that value for money, used instead of the phrase cost-cutting but it still is cost-cutting and then the CCGs just might engage with them. I wish I could be more positive but I cannot see any great change in the future unless pharmacists have better representation by individuals that are not content with being forever offered a better future that never materialises.
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'Save me £200,000', commissioner tells pharmacists
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27/04/12 06:45as a reply to Sandra Gidley.
I was at the Conference and was suitably impressed by the presentation. CCGs are at different stages of engagement. However, they too need to change. The rules of engagement are quite clear. We need to improve patient care and save money. To truly transform the NHS we need large scale changes to realise large cost savings. CCGs need support from all clinicians, which also include pharmacists (from both community and secondary care). These savings will not occur unless CCGs work together at a larger health economy eg 1,000,000 and over.

The penny will drop when they realise they are operating at much lower budgets than the PCTs. Then the CCGs will be asking help from whoever and community pharmacy needs "to be in it, to win it".
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'Save me £200,000', commissioner tells pharmacists
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27/04/12 10:34as a reply to Sandra Gidley.
Well I though Lansley said it was all about positive clinical outcomes and not targets and savings....
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'Save me £200,000', commissioner tells pharmacists
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27/04/12 21:08as a reply to Sandra Gidley.
I think he was just telling it as it is - and it sure as hell ain't pretty! We can only hope that Howard and his ilk (the very small minority of GPs who have been genuinely pro-pharmacy) will break the mould and others will wise-up and take notice. Howard spoke well and to much applause.

Regard

Graham
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'Save me £200,000', commissioner tells pharmacists
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27/04/12 22:53as a reply to Sandra Gidley.
Dr Stoate also said that pharmacists could do the basic monitoring of the walking well, to free up his time so he could do the (lucrative) work that prevented secondary care admissions & costs. He didn't say how much he would pay his local community pharmacists to do this, but then in the next breath he wants savings of over £200K before you can get past his front door! I would guess he's not planning on paying much then! He is a very good orator, but then that's why he was in politics. Its actions that count!!

What we will see is the crumbs being thrown from the GP table to whoever wants them with, in most cases, the 'best value' bid winning. Take it or leave it. We must not just accept this. We really do have to sell ourselves and ensure we are paid fairly for what we do. Just as GPs have a national tariff or price for each epsiode of care so we need a national pricing structure to ensure our services are not under valued and are remunerated fairly!

The other quote from the conference was to compete on quality not price....! And save £200K. Work that one out!!
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RE: 'Save me £200,000', commissioner tells pharmacists
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28/04/12 10:23as a reply to Jason Peett.
GPs are keen to get savings and several that I know have expressed interest particularly in reducing their drugs costs (as ever), minor ailment clinics and therapetic drug monitoring. I know Stockport PCT has its practice support pharmacists delivering this service and doing the phlebotomy role too.
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'Save me £200,000', commissioner tells pharmacists
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07/05/12 09:42as a reply to Sandra Gidley.
I think in order to provide more clinical services ,pharmacies may need to spend on a second pharmacist for 2 or 3 days each week.Some pharmacies in the same area could also pool their services and commission for these on a collective basis.Our professional bodies should also encourage more meetings between doctors,pharmacists,local councils,etc.so that we learn to engage more effectively with other health care professionals and commissioners of services.
SHENU BARCLAY,LOCUM PHARMACIST,WEST MIDLANDS
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