Top pharmacies suspended from Pharmacy First scheme
Four pharmacies that have provided some of the highest numbers of Pharmacy First consultations have been suspended from the scheme, C+D has learned.
Four pharmacies have been suspended from the Pharmacy First service, NHS England in London (NHSE-L) told C+D last week (September 18).
The four suspended pharmacies are Optipharm, Overton & Pickup, Meacher, Higgins & Thomas, and Cavendish, it said.
These pharmacies have been the leading providers of Pharmacy First minor illness referral consultations, according to NHS Business Services Authority (NHS BSA) data.
Read more: Inside the pharmacy doing 3,000 Pharmacy First consultations a month
A spokesperson for NHSE-L told C+D that “an investigation is ongoing” but could not comment further on the details of the case.
“We take any issues raised around pharmacy practice seriously,” they said.
Read more: ‘Not your money’: CPE admits £645m Pharmacy First cash ‘unlikely to be spent’
Last month, C+D revealed the inside workings of Optipharm, which topped the tables for the highest number of Pharmacy First consultations with over 3,000 for minor illness referrals completed in April.
C+D understands that there is currently no legal action against the pharmacies.
“Perplexed”
Optipharm owner Rafik Hammouda told C+D that he is “perplexed” about the suspensions and is launching a legal challenge.
Hammouda is the sole director and shareholder of Wembley Park Pharmacie and 7Day Chemiist and owns Optipharm, Overton & Pickup, and Meacher, Higgins & Thomas.
He said that he has not received “a clear rationale” for the decision to suspend the Pharmacy First scheme at his three pharmacies despite “multiple correspondences and face-to-face visits” with NHSE-L.
Read more: Revealed: NHS to claw back over a million in Pharmacy First cash
Hammouda added that his company has been “fully transparent, sharing all relevant data, standard operating procedures and any requested documentation”.
“However, in the absence of further communication or explanations, you will understand why we have instructed our KC to move forward with the legal challenges,” he said.
Read more: GPs need to ‘feel confident’ about Pharmacy First referrals, says BMA
He told C+D that Cavendish is not part of his “portfolio”.
A spokesperson for Cavendish confirmed that the pharmacy has been suspended from the Pharmacy First service by North East London integrated care board (ICB) but that it has not been informed about the reason for the suspension.
Major minor illnesses
Dispensing data for May published by the NHS BSA last month revealed that Optipharm was again the leading Pharmacy First provider in England.
In May, Optipharm claimed 2,529 Pharmacy First minor illness referral consultations.
The other suspended pharmacies were also among the leading providers that month.
Overton & Pickup performed 1,282 minor illness referral consultations (the third most), Meacher, Higgins & Thomas performed 1,208 such consultations (the fourth most), and Cavendish performed 591 referral consultations (the ninth most).
Read more: UPDATED: August Pharmacy First consultation threshold dropped to 15
The average for all pharmacies in England was 12 minor illness referral consultations in May, according to the data.
It comes as the pharmacy negotiator this month admitted that “it is a challenge” to convince the government to spend all £645 million of the Pharmacy First funding, while pleas for threshold changes are like “pushing against a closed door”.
It said that Pharmacy First consultation thresholds – the minimum number pharmacies must complete to qualify for a monthly payment, currently 20 per month – are “not realistic” and “biggest issue” of concern for pharmacies.
