Pharmacy bodies urge engagement following concerns over NMS

I would be behind this service whole-heartedly if it were remunerated on a 'one NMS, one fee' basis (though I do think £25 a throw is tad stingy).
However, based on our Pharmacy's items, the threshold payment scheme means 50 NMS could be carried out in the first six months, plus an additional 250 in the following twelve, without attracting any payment whatsoever.
Not the greatest incentive to back the new scheme.
Great value for money for the NHS though...



Perhaps that is what

I was just about to say the same thing. I don't mind there being a maximum based on script volumes, but why so complicated with the bandings?
Firstly I don't know my script volume till the end of the month, so I cannot know for certain what my NMS target will be, only retrospectively what it was.
Secondly, if for example I do 9 in a month and do 10,500 items, I get paid for 9. If I do 10,501 I get paid for none.
Anyway, congratulations to PSNC and DH for coming up with an amazing obstacle course to try and claw back the money they've taken off us to pay for it. Don't get me wrong, the service seems good and should benefit patients, make our role more worthwhile, show pharmacy can deliver etc. But when do we get new funds for this all this? I know there's a recession, but if we're improving adherence and cutting down hospital admissions, surely it can at least partly fund itself? I can't wait for the next service to be commissioned. At least Cat M prices can't fall below zero, or can they?!!
I want to be positive. I want to provide new services. I just want new money for doing them, otherwise they aren't NHS funded, they are pharmacy funded.

Antony, the NMS is pharmacy funded. The DH have taken £110m from us. We are supposed to try and win it back by April 2013 by using the NMS. The banding proves beyond doubt that PSNC are colluding with the DH to make sure we never have that total £110m back.

Thank you for all your comments. For more details on funding please see our NMS Payment checker, which calculates how much you will be paid for the service:

http://www.chemistanddruggist.co.uk/pharmacy-business

Emma Weinbren
Reporter

Surely our comments show we have all the detail on funding we need. What we want is a fair system of payment; one NMS, one fee. Anything else amounts to daylight robbery.