EXCLUSIVE

PSNC walked out of contract negotiations when NHS England called for pharmacists to carry out domiciliary MURs without extra funding, C+D has learned.

The NHS wanted to include domiciliary MURs in an advanced home delivery service that had already been agreed by both parties, but did not offer any extra money for the MUR element, two anonymous sources told C+D this week.

PSNC refused to continue discussions until the NHS had shelved the proposals, they said. The negotiator declined to comment on the revelations.

According to one source, NHS England "threw in" domiciliary MURs to the service specification without any prior discussion. Although the home delivery service was not essential and pharmacists could opt in or out, PSNC was concerned about the costs to providers, they said.

"That would have added huge cost. Think [security] vetting, and sending pharmacists or technicians out with delivery drivers. It would have cost much more than any funding identified with it. I believe it created something of an impasse until shelved," a source revealed.

Another source told C+D that PSNC "closed off talks and walked away" after the NHS put forward the plans. This forced the NHS to drop its demands, they said.

PSNC said it would not comment on "confidential negotiations".

The negotiator announced the funding settlement in September, which saw the global sum rise from £2.5 billion to £2.8bn. At the time, pharmacists expressed concerns that funding remained flat in real terms and that it would force the sector to do more for less.

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