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Fight for Fairness launches
C+D launches its Fight for Fairness campaign, calling for greater accuracy and transparency in payments from NHS Prescription Services. Industry leaders back the campaign, saying the sector desperately needs to see improvements. Find out why C+D launched the campaign -
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Timeline
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Contractors report serious errors
Pharmacy contractors tell C+D their businesses have been hit by payment errors of thousands of pounds. One contractor reports a "major error" in which 500 items were incorrectly switched to another contractor's pile, while another says a lost parcel has left them underpaid by £10,000. Read more on how errors left pharmacists struggling to pay bills -
PSNC calls for accuracy and transparency
PSNC says it is “driving forward” discussions on NHS pricing accuracy and transparency. There is a "shared aim to progress the discussions to a conclusion as quickly as possible", chief executive Sue Sharpe tells C+D. Read Sue Sharpe’s full response to the FFF campaign -
Contractors demand compensation
Contractors demand more compensation for pricing errors. Experts agree last year's ex gratia payment of £1,000 was not enough, calling for an annual sum of £2,500 to compensate for the inconvenience caused by errors. Find out why £1,000 wasn’t enough to compensate for errors -
Contractors report over £10,000 in underpayments
Several businesses report total underpayments of over £10,000 since the CIP automated payment system was introduced. Contractors have been forced to reduce locum cover, increase business overdrafts and spend less time on providing services as a result. Read more on what pharmacists think of the errors -
Numark calls for urgent changes
Numark demands an urgent review of the government's prescription payment system after a survey reveals almost two thirds of its members do not believe they are being paid accurately. While 32 per cent say they are unable to confirm the accuracy of their payments, ninety per cent of these respondents say this is due to a lack of information from NHS Prescription Services. Find out why Numark members lost confidence in the system -
Independant is underpaid by £85,000
An independent pharmacy business reveals it has been underpaid by approximately £85,000 since the CIP payment system was introduced in 2007. Dispharma Chemists says the payment errors have led to substantial losses and administrative costs, forcing the group to take out overdraft facilities. Find out how much time Dispharma spends checking prescriptions -
Pharmacist calls for legal action
A pharmacist calls for legal action to claim back underpayments from the NHS, which have totalled over £350,000 in his group. Healthcare lawyer David Reisser says legal action would be viable,
explaining: "The claim would be against the PCT, which is legally responsible for paying contractors." Read more on why this pharmacy group is losing thousands -
PSNC criticises lack of transparancy
PSNC and pharmacists criticise a decision to restrict access to queried prescriptions, saying it creates a lack of transparency in the payment system. The decision angers contractors, who could previously request to see photocopies of prescriptions from NHS Prescription Services if they suspected an incorrect prescription switch had occurred. Find out how NHS PS responded to the criticism -
Contractors challenge 11,000 payments
Contractors have challenged payments on over 11,000 prescription batches since April 2009, C+D discovers. This includes requests from a total of 2,921 contractors within the two-year period. The findings reflect a "long-standing lack of confidence" in the payment system, says NPA chief executive Mike Holden. Find out how Numark and NHS PS reacted to the figures -
PSNC in discussions with DH
PSNC confirms it is in discussions on the transparency and accuracy of prescription pricing with the Department of Health. The committee confirms it will push for further payments to contractors “in recognition of continuing errors from April 2009 onwards". Read PSNC’s advice to pharmacies -
Script switching causes payment chaos
Contractors complain of ongoing underpayments by NHS Prescription Services. One independent group reports underpayments of £14,000 between January and March as a result of incorrect prescription switching. Meanwhile, others complain of ongoing problems and a lack of transparency when errors are made. Find out how many script switches one pharmacy group reported -
C+D calls for reader help with FFF campain
C+D asks readers to help analyse data on payment accuracy, which it has requested from NHS Prescription Services. The data shows a single pharmacy was underpaid £355,000 in just two years, and reveals 50 different causes of payment errors. Find out what the C+D editor Gary Paragpuri thinks of the revelations -
Pricing errors top £5 million
NHS Prescription Services has made more than £5 million of payment errors in the past two years, a C+D investigation reveals. In the worst cases, the errors amounted to more than £330,000 in underpayments to single pharmacies or branches over a period of eight months. Read more on industry reaction to the figures -
Numark demands improvements
Numark demands improvements to the payment system after C+D reveals there are over 50 causes of pricing errors. Numark's director of commercial operations Raj Nutan says if the system is as "flawed as it appears", NHS Prescription Services must implement a new IT programme or manual system. Read more on the top causes of underpayments -
Contractor reveals monthly underpayments of up to £1,000
An independent contractor calls for pharmacy's paymaster to be held to account after being repeatedly underpaid by up to £1,000 per month. Andrew Porter, of Abbey Pharmacy in Rotherham, says errors have regularly hit his payments since early 2010. Read more on Mr Porter’s reaction to the payment woes -
Graham Phillips hits out at payment system
Contractor Graham Phillips hits out at the payment system, saying it “makes a mockery of transparency”. Mr Phillips warns: “The frustration, financial consequences and sheer time-wasting of dealing with NHS Prescription Services’ byzantine processes only create more barriers to [pharmacy’s] progress.” Find out what pharmacy payments and the Eurovision have in common -
Accountant tells C+D of 'huge underpayments'
Pharmacy accountant Umesh Modi reveals many of his clients have complained of “huge underpayments” by NHS Prescription Services. “How are contractors expected to invest in their businesses when there are huge fluctuations in payments, and they don’t know how much they’re going to get every month?” he asks. Click here to watch Umesh Modi’s full video interview
