PSNC reveals funding for 2011-12

I think Sue Sharp's face in that picture sums it all up!!!

Well put Dhaona.

I appreciate that the economics are difficult at the moment so we can’t expect much but……
Any extra funding negotiated for MURs or NMS’s etc. by the PSNC is trivial compared by the effective reduction in remuneration for the core dispensing service which is and for the foreseeable future will be our prime source of income.

And just a couple of extra points (I am sure there are more)……

As mentioned in other replies to C&D over the last few weeks, the PSNC has for decades been unable to negotiate the claiming of broken bulk and dressings.
Also the PSNC has failed to make any form of stand against the never ending increase in bureaucracy and paperwork that is engulfing front line pharmacy.

Regards

Clive

Frankly Pharmacists need to club together and push forward a vote of no confidence in the PSNC negotiation team.

It seems our trade groups like Avicenna, Numark et al, are completely useless when it comes to pushing though grass roots views on real issues. Everyone likes ripping us like EPS systems suppliers, Trade Groups etc, well ENOUGH is ENOUGH.

If anyone wants to set up a REAL group that represents contractors true views, I for sure will join and give financial support!

The fact is too many people who claim to represent pharmacy have been perched up in their ivory towers for far too long!

I have to agree with the vote of no confidence Rajive, but setting up a new negotiating committee won't be such an easy thing to do. Voting in more competent people who actually have to work with the contract I believe should be our next step. If changing the organisation is too difficult we change the people representing us within it.

I agree Dhanoa, I was not intimating setting up a new negotiating committee as such since statute means only the PSNC can be negotiators. My view is setting up a lobbying group representing the real views and needs of contractors. We all know boots et al can whether the storm since they work on stupidly large margins anyway, but independent contractors are suffering from the current remuneration methods.

I would definitely support a lobbying group to hold the PSNC negotiators to account. It was amazing recently at a C&D Senate meeting to discuss NMS, that mimi lau suggested pharmacy should accept the feeble remuneration in the interests of patient care!!! Is there some massive disconnect here, these representatives (I think she represents NUMARK) of pharmacy contractors actually consider us to be charity organizations. WE ARE NOT FREE SERVICE PROVIDERS!! We need to be adequately funded and there is no if's or but's.

It just seems right now the whole world is against us. Buying groups are a blatant waste of money and offer nothing but pointless self ego-massaging conferences, when it comes to the crunch on real issues they are like a bowl of melted ice-cream!!

What astounds me the most is why have the PSNC agreed a settlement, without factoring the COSI. It funny how the impact of that is not taken into account. This is exactly why the PSNC negotiators must face a grilling from contractors....why dont they arrange a road show so we can hold them to account!!!!!

I must admit what I find most intersting is the new Specials Tariff. I do wonder how they are going to set the prices.

The PSNC has lost the plot as far as negotiating with DoH is concerned. We need proffesional negotiaters who can like the GP's contract get us fair pay instead of year in year out, cuts with added workload!!

why dont you ask her if she we will the honorable thing and stand down and let someone else take over negotiations. I am confident most contractors feel the current PSNC are inadequate in their negotiations and there should be a vote of confidence in her leadership.

I think there is a real danger of the PSNC seriously misjudging the mood of the contractors. When Sue Sharpe and Her Mob at the PSNC have spent us into a terible state and little seems to be getting done about pharmacy contractor finances. This whole issue seems like a tribal onanistic orgy where the PSNC are at their most comfortable - scoring points on things that don't really matter that much like when they secured the NMS service.

Colourful way of putting it Rajive. But you know what I have to agree with you.

We have now been in this contract for far far too long. It was meant to be "fair" and "cost neutral" way back when it was introduced. It clearly isn't fit for purpose any longer, the structure of profitability is completely incorrect as shown by the cost of goods inquiry and yet here we are some ten years later still only being allowed to earn the same restricted £500mil purchase profit on Cat M products??

How is that fair especially in light of the latest revelation that we are doing I think it was some 80% more work than when the contract was first established and still we are only allowed the same purchase profit?? With contractors jumping up and down in disbelief and still nothing productive is negotiated by the PSNC??

I understand the situation that the economy is in but pharmacy has been under funded now for many more years. Yet every quarter of every year we are squeezed and squeezed. Perhaps there should be a petition for whether actual pharmacy contractors feel there are calls for no confidence on the C+D web site. Along side the facts of work load increases versus Cat M profitability and the cost of goods inquiry clearly shown for contractors to see whether they feel they have any confidence left in their representative negotiating committee. I for one lost confidence a long time ago, it's time for a fresh new team at the psnc that actually work within the confines of this contract to then be expected to negotiate them going forwards.

Has anyone worked out the optimum to achieve maximum profit from community pharmacy?
It is apparent that the more items we do; the more we lose.
David Sharpe said long ago that eventually our money will come from the service elements and that is coming through now. Therefore; is there a statistician amongst us that can provide the equation for optimum profit?
Something like...
x MUR + y NMS + z other services + w [items - referred items] = optimum. What would 'w' be? Assume average overheads.

Rajive is right we need to group together and lobby to save community pharmacy. The so called bodies which claim to be a voice for pharmacy have a vested interest. They are neither representative nor have leaders who understand pharmacy. These are the fat cats who have their own interest at heart. Is Pharmacy Voice a representative of pharmacy per se? No!. I include here the so called buying groups who are lining up their pockets. True hypocrites. It's time to give these bodies including the PSNC a vote of no confidence. If we dnt, it's the end of independent community pharmacy as we know it -RIP.

Have you factored/added in the CIP one off payment £20M and New Medicines service £55M, looks a bit better then. But not great if inflation is 5.2%!