EXCLUSIVE

 
The government’s plans for pharmacists to carry out prescription fraud checks will pay for itself, the Department of Health (DH) has assured C+D readers.
 
The proposed system would save the NHS an estimated £150 million a year by requiring pharmacists to check patients’ eligibility for free prescriptions at the “click of a button”, the DH announced last month (December 30). The system, due to be implemented by 2018, earlier this week (January 5) drew criticism from pharmacists and representatives who were concerned that it could undermine patient trust. 

Dave Downham, a non-healthcare professional posting on the C+D website, said £150m sounded like "a lot of money", but asked how much it would cost to monitor the system.

In response, the DH said the "anticipated £150m reduction would greatly exceed the cost of the system". "Prescription charges raise around £450m a year, which helps the NHS to maintain vital services for patients," the DH told C+D.

Legal implications

Pharmacist Hayley Johnson asked about the legal repercussions for pharmacists if they refused to hand over a medicine to a patient who could not afford it and the individual then came to harm. The DH said there were already "extensive" prescription exemptions for those on low incomes.

"It is already the case under the charges regulations that if someone is not entitled to an exemption then a charge should be paid before a prescription is dispensed," the DH said in response to Ms Johnson's question.
  
In response to a question from a community pharmacist posting as N O about whether the "click button" nature of the system meant it would resemble the electronic prescription service, the DH told C+D it would consider how best the fraud checking system “might build on or relate to existing systems” during its development. 
 
Royal Pharmaceutical Society head of communications Neal Patel told C+D on Wednesday (January 7) that the organisation had “opened a dialogue” with the DH to raise its concerns about how the proposed service could impact on patient care.

As part of the "major clampdown" on fraud in the health service unveiled by the DH, the current system of post-prescription checks would be expanded and patients who claimed free prescriptions fraudulently would face a penalty of up to £150, it said. Persistent offenders could face a court hearing, a £2,500 fine and a criminal record, the DH added.
 

What questions do you have about the planned fraud system?

 

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