Readers give verdict on PSNC’s alternative to cuts
A third of readers agree with PSNC that spotting patients who already have enough medicine is the best way to offset cuts
Almost a third of C+D readers believe that being paid to spot patients who already have enough stock of a medicine is the best way to offset the funding cuts, out of a list of suggestions put forward by the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC).
Thirty-one per cent of 197 respondents to a poll that ran on the C+D website between April 23 and May 4 backed this suggestion, outlined as part of a raft of “short-term alternatives” to the £170 million the government plans to cut from the sector’s funding.
In its proposals last month, PSNC suggested that pharmacists who stop an unnecessary prescription should be paid their usual professional fees, plus a small additional fee for each item that was not dispensed.
A quarter of respondents said that being allowed to swap selected branded drugs for generic versions was the best of PSNC’s suggestions. PSNC suggested that a list of branded drugs that could be substituted for generics should be drawn up at a national level, and pharmacists could then speak to patients before making a substitution.
This proposal was also welcomed by wholesaler representative the Healthcare Distribution Association, which lauded it as a “safe and efficient” way to save the NHS money.
PSNC said its proposals would help save the NHS “at least as much” as the proposed funding cuts.
Poll results: Which of PSNC's suggestions is the best way to offset the cuts? 31% Getting paid to spot when the patient already has enough stock of a medicine 26% Being allowed to dispense generic versions instead of branded drugs (if applicable) 18% A month-long campaign to raise awareness of medicines waste 15% Suggesting more cost-effective medicines to prescribers 11% Identify excessive prescribing and supplies in care homes |
A mixed reaction
However, the raft of cost-saving suggestions received a mixed reaction from readers posting on the C+D website.
Pharmacist Mark Galloway said the proposals looked “a bit desperate”, and he had hoped for something “more groundbreaking”.
Superintendent Margaret Hook said that, while she agreed with some of the proposals, she was unconvinced by PSNC’s suggestion to swap some branded medication for generics. This could increase the risk of prescribing or dispensing errors, she said.
A reader posting as Concerned Pharmacist suggested that any “self-respecting” pharmacist was already carrying out many of PSNC’s proposals “as a matter of course”.
PSNC has said that the government has shown "little interest" in its suggestions. Read more here.
What do you make of PSNC's cost-saving suggestions?
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