KENT LOCAL PHARMACEUTICAL COMMITTEE.
THIRD ANNUAL REPORT.
Year ending March 31st 2005
committee membership
b)Neil CarterCanterbury and Coastal01227 781189
Resigned March 2005
a)Neil CarterCanterbury and Coastal07701000575
Co-opted March 2005
a)Sunil ChopraDartford / Gravesham / Swanley01322 860019
b)Stephen FosterEast Kent Coastal07782 367859
b) Geoff. GarfieldSouth West Kent01892 526486
c)Joyce JamesMedway07765898935
a)Steven KaneDartford / Gravesham / Swanley01474 335646
a)Taj MatharooAshford01233 622245
a)Bipin PatelMaidstone and Weald01622 858287
a)Chan PatelSouth West Kent01892 525630 Resigned
a)Muhammad SohawonMedway01634 845624
a)Jason PeettEast Kent Coastal01304 374237Resigned April 2004
b)Tony BarberCanterbury and Coastal01227 597449
Resigned June 2004
b)Lindsay BarberCanterbury and Coastal01227 459770
Appointed September 2004
a)Barrie SmithMaidstone and Weald01732 843203
a)Jas ThindShepway01303 862425
Resigned January 2005
a) Lodi LamaShepway01303892283
Co-opted January 2005
a)Deepak WadhwaniSwale01795 664601
b)Vacancy to be appointed by CCA
a)Representative of Independent Contractors
b)Representative of The Company Chemists Association
c)Representative of The Co-operative Technical Panel
OFFICERS
Chairman………………………………………………….Geoff Garfield
Vice Chairman…………………………………………….Barrie Smith
Secretary and Chief Executive…………………………….Stuart McMillan
LPC Office :-
First Floor, Field Pharmacy, 11, Old Road, East Peckham, Kent TN12 5AS
Telephone & Fax :- 01622 873356
E~mail
REPRESENTATIVES TO KENT & MEDWAY PCT COMMITTEES
PCTProfessional Exec CommitteePrescribing Sub Committee
AshfordStuart McMillanrep.Taj Matharoo
CanterburyNeil CartermemberNeil Carter
DartfordLPC Strategy GroupSunil Chopra
E K CoastalStephen Foster memberStephen Foster
MaidstoneBarrie Smith memberBipin Patel
MedwayProposed 2005Joyce James
ShepwayVacancyLodi Lama
S W KentGeoff. Garfield memberSarah Curl
SwaleDeepak Wadhwani memberDeepak Wadhwani
OTHER COMMITTEES
Clinical Governance Steering Committee Joyce James
Disciplinary Committee for Neighbouring Areas Joyce James and Chan Patel
K&M Drug and Therapeutic Committee Barrie Smith
In addition the Chief Executive represents the LPC on :-
Shared Care Committee (Services for addicts)
Clinical Governance Steering Group
Pharmacy Performance Advisory Group (Performance Review Panel)
Pharmaceutical Regulations Committee
Medway Lift Shadow Strategic Partnership Board
Kent Local Medical Committee (observer)
SECRETARY’s REPORT
Having agreed Business Meetings with senior members of the PCTs last year we have been continuing these with all PCTs. Discussion has covered many areas with particular emphasis from the LPC on the needs for review of pharmaceutical services, the identification of gaps in service and preparation for organisation of the commissioning of those services. With the agreement of the new contract we were extremely disappointed that the PCTs did not take this on board early enough and the resultant rush to get this completed prior to the start of the new contract on 1/4/2005 has meant that very few if any of the PCTs has completed a thorough Pharmaceutical Services Needs Review of existing services, never mind identification of gaps in service. The LPC looks forward to hearing of the completion of the reviews and has made PCTs aware that all the contractors in their area should be notified of their findings.
As a result of our discussions all except one PCT have agreed that they would wish to have pharmacist presence on their PEC and the exception has a Strategy Group, which is meeting regularly with PCT personnel to further pharmacy development. The LPC has just been informed unofficially that the PCT has now decided to readjust their PEC structure to allow for a pharmacist position.
The format of LPC meetings has remained mainly the same, and there are fourteen members who cover all the PCT areas. The first part of the meeting includes a general report of the previous meetings, information on prescription payment statistics and discussion with the Senior Pharmaceutical Adviser from the K&M Pharmaceutical Collaborative, which is based at Swale PCT and works for all the nine PCTs in the areas of pharmacy development and accreditation. The Collaborative has been restructured during the year and is now managed by a Steering Group with representation from PCTs and the LPC. We have seen the departure of Ruth Rodgers from the position of lead to this body and thank her for all her efforts on behalf of Pharmacy. We congratulate her on her recently awarded PhD and wish her well in her in her new post at Medway School of Pharmacy.
Consequently we welcome Catherine Dewsbury to the lead post at the Collaborative. We are confident that the close relationship, which has been built with the pharmaceutical advisers from the Collaborative, will continue.
Contractors are welcome to attend the first part of any LPC meeting but should contact the Secretary if they wish to attend so that arrangements can be adjusted for the meeting. The second part of the meeting is open only to LPC members, and confidential matters and strategy are agreed, and the reports of the LPC representatives to PCTs are discussed.
Steering committees for the implementation of the new contract have been set up in all PCTs and the LPC has representation on them all, in most cases together with other local contractor representatives. The LPC has additionally arranged contractor / PCT meetings for information on the new contract and we thank all our sponsors for helping us with the cost of these. Work will continue for several months following the guidelines in the PCTs agreed action plans, and in conjunction with LPC advice.
The function of the committee is to represent all community pharmacy contractors who hold contracts within the Kent and Medway Strategic Health Authority area, (specifically contractors in contract with the nine PCTs) and to advise and assist, in any way, on matters of practice. The committee also considers that it has a responsibility to further the profession, and therefore welcomes the views of all community pharmacists.
The committee has a regular dialogue with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) on all matters regarding remuneration, and receives advice and information from it and the NPA.
There have been welcome meetings between the secretariat of the LMC and LPC, and there is a growing desire for co-operation between the two professions, and reciprocal invitations to meetings, as observers will further improve this. Opportunities for the two professions to work together are becoming more obvious as the relationship between nGMS and the new pharmacy contract is commissioned by the PCTs.
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
This report summarises the LPC’s achievements during the current year, and sets out a strategic framework for the year 2005/6. It has been prepared for the AGM in April 2005.
The report focuses on the implementation of the new pharmacy contract in Kent, as this has been the major focus of our activities, and will continue to be our focus for the next year.
The report has been drawn up using the PSNC briefing document on the new contract implementation, Briefing 45, dated 22 March 2005.
Achievements during 2004/5
PSNC Recommendations / Current situation in KentWork with PCTs to set up local implementation groups / Established in all PCTs
Work with PCTs to establish local needs assessments / All PCTs are currently developing these
Put in place internal governance arrangements for the committee / Carried out April 2004
Share experiences with other LPCs, and communicate with the SHA & LMC / All achieved
Communicate with, and provide advice to contractors, about the implementation of the new contract / Newsletters issued with PCTs
Consider organising contractor meetings for communication & support / Carried out in all PCT areas
Establish contacts between PCT key personnel & a nominated LPC member for each PCT / Achieved
Summary
Measuring our activity against the PSNC checklist confirms that we have achieved all of the recommended actions. I believe that this confirms my opinion that the LPC has had a very successful year, and that members and contractors should feel satisfied with our progress. Particular thanks are due to Stuart McMillan, our Chief Executive, for his tireless work, and his achievements on our behalf. Thanks are also due to the committee members for their local achievements.
Future Activity
I set out below a list of activities, in priority order, which I believe should be our focus for the year 2005/6. Again, this is based on the PSNC document. I recommend that the committee adopts this as our direction for the year, and directs the strategy group to establish a detailed action plan to deliver the objectives set out.
- Immediate priorities – priorities for April 2005
- Confirm to contractors the arrangements for the notification of opening hours
- Provide advice to contractors on the arrangements for the “support for people with disabilities service”
- Achieve agreement from all PCTs to roll out repeat dispensing
- Achieve agreement for all PCT’s on the arrangements & support for public health campaigns
- Medium Term priorities – April – July 2005
- Focus activity with the PCTs on the arrangements for advanced services, to ensure that:
- Patient groups are identified
- Commissioning arrangements are put in place, and LDP funds secured
- Contractors are consulted
- Fees and certification arrangements are agreed
- Communicate with & support contactors on the essential & advanced services
- Arrange communication meetings at PCT level
- Assist contractors with SOP’s and certification arrangements
- Facilitate training activities to ensure that contractors can meet the required standards.
Next Steps
I recommend to the commit that this document forms the basis for establishing the work plan for 2005/6. I suggest that this should be drawn up by the strategy group, and presented to the next meeting for ratification.
LPC MEETINGS 2004 / 5
Meetings have been held on a two monthly basis, in the evening. The attendance of committee members has been as follows: -
Possible Actual
Tony Barber 2 0 ***
Lyndsay Barber 5 4
Neil Carter 7 7
Sunil Chopra 7 5
Steven Foster 7 4
Geoff Garfield 7 7
Joyce James 7 3
Steven Kane 7 7
Lodi Lama 2 2
Taj Matharoo 7 4
Bipin Patel 7 7
Barrie Smith 7 5
Muhammad Sohawon 4 2
Jas Thind 5 1**
Deepak Wadhwani 7 7
** Resigned January 2005 *** Joined committee June 2003 and resigned June 2004
In addition to the formal LPC meetings, members and /or the Chief Executive have attended several meetings to discuss payment of the local services commissioned by PCTs and managed by the K&M Pharmaceutical Collaborative based at Swale PCT. Funding for these services was until the past few years devolved from the global sum but has now been transferred to the base budget of PCTs.
In order that these matters can be processed efficiently without having to call a full meeting on each occasion, a Strategy Committee of five members consisting of the Chairman, Vice Chairman, two other members, and the Secretary, has been set up, to formulate policy on current matters, and report back to the full LPC for approval at the next meeting.
PRESCRIPTION STATISTICS 2004
There are currently 267 contractors on the Pharmaceutical Lists of the nine Kent PCTs
As payments for pharmacy services are paid three months in arrears the figures represent the period of the calendar year (January to December)
2003 2004
Number of Forms 9,250,4799,628,874
Number of Items 17,911,308 18,985,901
Average Items per Form 1.941.97
Total of Basic Prices £ 224,839,710 £ 240,459,293
Discount £ 22,883,423 £ 23,688,426
Net Cost £ 201,956,287 £ 216,790,867
Fees £ 22,618,788 £ 24,274,495
Average Fee £ 1.263 £ 1.279
Average Discount £ 1.278 £ 1.231
Average Fee - Average Discount -1.5p4.8p
Over the year the average fee per item has dropped slightly, and the discount has risen slightly, with consequent decrease in actual payment. The figure provided is an average of the year and while the beginning and end of the year showed a slight positive figure the summer period showed much larger increases in discount.
PHARMACEUTICAL REGULATIONS COMMITTEE
This committee is the body, which all the PCTs have agreed is empowered to make decisions appertaining the applications for inclusion in pharmaceutical lists of the individual PCTs. The committee consists of three lay members, one of whom is chairman, and the other two are non-executive directors of PCTs. Two professional advisers, one from the LMC and the other from the LPC, together with the Adviser from the Pharmaceutical Collaborative, and representatives of particular PCTs, take part in the initial discussion, but are not involved in taking the final decisions.
The committee considers applications concerning rurality, (which has to be decided before the matter of dispensing doctor applications, or applications for pharmacies in rural areas can be decided); applications from doctors for outline consent to dispense; applications for minor relocations of pharmacies and applications for new contracts for pharmacies.
The PRC makes their decisions after initial consultation has taken place with all affected parties, and opinions of Parish Councils and CHCs are also sought, where appropriate. The decisions, however, are made solely on the basis of the Regulations.
Affected parties may appeal within 30 days of the ruling being notified to them, and the appeal is heard by the National Health Services Appeal Authority, based in Harrogate. The Appeal Authority review the decisions afresh and on some occasions hold Oral Hearings, which are open for the parties to attend. This also affords the opportunity for the panel to observe the neighbourhood of the application.
New Regulations for Entry to Contract come into effect on 1/4/2005 with modifications which have been expected for some time as a result of government consultations and reports. The actual Regulations have only become available in the last few days and will require some considerable study over the next few weeks.
COMPLAINTS
All complaints should, initially be dealt with at practice level. Procedures need to be set up within the practice in order that complaints can be processed in line with the Complaints Procedure, and Clinical Governance procedures. Some complaints however, will be made to bodies other than the person complained about. If this is the PCT, they will pass the complaint to the practice in the hope that it can be resolved at that level.
In fact some complaints that have been unsuccessfully dealt with may be referred to the practice for further consideration. It is important that complainants who contact you, about other practices, no matter which profession, should be referred to the practice which is being complained of.
Disciplinary action is completely different from complaints, but may arise out of serious complaints, which can not be resolved and will in the future be considered by PCT Performance Advisory Groups which will refer to the PCT Decision Making Group, with recommendations as to what action should be taken
FINANCE
The Accounts of the LPC for the year ending 31st March 2005 are attached. They show that the LPC has managed their spending within the budget, which was agreed last year. The LPC is requesting levy funding twice yearly now in April and October. You will no doubt be pleased to observe that the funding which we ask for is well below the national average.
The Accounts, which obviously have been prepared in the last couple of weeks, have been audited and are attached at the end of the report.
LIFT in Medway
LIFT stands for Local Improvement Finance Trust and is a Government supported scheme for improving healthcare sites, which has been rolled out in 4 waves so far. The only site in K&M is in Medway. A Partnership Board has been set up between the PCT, Local Council and a selected private partner. The representative bodies of the professions (LDC, LMC, LOC and LPC) are members of this in the interests of their contractors. It was agreed last year that discussions should take place between the PCT, LPC and the Private developer prior to plans being drawn up for the various initiatives, so that it can be discussed as to the needs of a further pharmacy representation at the site. Unfortunately this has not taken place and the developer has been producing plans including pharmacies in some areas where they are not necessary. Discussion of these matters will need to take place at the board meetings and we will keep contractors in the area abreast of any changes, which might occur.
Other PCTs are to become involved with Lift in the very near future, but we have not so far been invited to become involved.
FINALLY
As ever, the LPC is at your service to help with advice on problems and difficulties, which arise as a result of your work in the NHS. The Secretary is always available to take your calls either by phone, answer phone / fax, or e-mail
It is very important that modern techniques are utilised in order to provide information in both directions and if any pharmacy has an e-mail address which can be contacted at the contracted pharmacy please send an e-mail to the LPC so that we can record your address.
Please support your committee by co-operating with it and providing information, which will help it to negotiate on your behalf.
Geoff. Garfield, Chairman.S.J. McMillan, Secretary
KENT LOCAL PHARMACEUTICAL COMMITTEE
ANNUAL REPORT
2004/2005
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