Page 5 - P4304.1-V106 PSUK Feb Mag

Changes and checks you can

make in the dispensary

Look at wrong group movements Check you are signed up to all MDS schemes
Often dispensaries can be hit with wrong group Prescribing a brand will result in a loss unless there
movements which can cost £000’s. A wrong is an MDS scheme that offers more than 11.18%
group movement is where a prescription has been discount. Check with your account manager what
submitted as non-paid – but is changed to paid by MDS schemes are available and that you are signed
the Prescription Pricing Authority due to potential up to them all – even if you don’t currently use that
errors on the prescription. This may be its not signed, product.
or the correct box isn’t ticked. This results in the NHS
assuming you have therefore taken a payment from
the patient and removing this from your payment. You may not currently purchase certain lines – but if
prescribing changes and you are not signed up, you
could lose money.
Ensure PA’s are being dealt with correctly

An area that we get lots of questions on and an area Create a practice formulary
that can result in a financial hit is around personally
administered items and VAT. It is important that the Ensuring all the prescribers are on the same page is
dispensary team are only reporting items prescribed vitally important for two reasons:
and administered by the practice team as the VAT
cannot be reclaimed, VAT can be claimed on Items Ensuring you maximise the opportunity for MDS
such as insulins that are given to a patient in a bag discount and everyone is prescribing the most
and should not be included in the PA list you give preferable product for the practice - whether that
to the finance manager. These items also tend to be the one that reduces NHS cost, or increases
carry an automatic PA allowance from the NHSBSA dispensary margin. If everyone is on the same page,
upon reimbursement of your prescriptions. These this ensures the dispensary is in the best of health.
items should not be a loss maker if they attract
the PA allowance, so if you are sending items such
as insulins to the local pharmacy to be dispensed Reduce Stock Holding
then you should aim to bring them back in house. If all prescribers are prescribing slightly different
DDAM Jody Harries article on page 8 goes into more medication for the same condition, your stock holding
detail around this. will naturally increase as you have to hold more
options, increasing the money tied up in stock and
Check Manufacturer risking write offs due to out ofdate products.
Discount Schemes (MDS)
caps – ensure you are Removing Losses
getting discount on what It is vital that nurses are not ordering dressings or
you are buying appliances through the dispensary to store in a
cupboard so they can administer to patients as and
Taking advantage of MDS schemes is vital to ensuring when needed, this creates a risk that items are being
a profitable dispensary, but understanding the details given to patients without a prescription and creating
of these schemes Is also important: a loss.

• Certain schemes have caps in place and others It is good practice where possible, to supply dressings
have tiers. to the nurses if a prescription is presented, even if it’s
for a single dressing. This allows you to claim for the
• Understanding where you are being capped gives dressing alongside the dispensing fee.
you an idea of where you could be potentially
losing money.
• The detailed MDS reports on the PSUK portal Using a Dispensing Appliance Contractor (DAC) such
break down the discount at product level and will as NuCare for loss making items in Part 9 of the
highlight if you are not getting MDS discount on Drug Tariff can turn a loss into a small profit, in a lot
all of your purchases. of cases these items are sent to local pharmacies or
dispensed at a loss, but if they are sent to a DAC you
• Tiered schemes also provide the opportunity to will receive a referral fee for the prescription making it
do something different. If you are purchasing profitable.
particular products and not hitting minimum tiers,
or not hitting the top tiers, is there an opportunity
to look at where you are prescribing similar brands
to patients that could be switched?

PSUK Membership | PS Magazine 5

24/01/2025 13:50:58
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P4304.1-V106 PSUK Feb Mag (Print Ready).indd 5 24/01/2025 13:50:58