Data payments announced for Scottish pharmacists

Community pharmacists in Scotland are to receive payments for ensuring the data quality of their patient records ahead of the introduction of electronic transfer of prescriptions.

The Scottish Executive Health Department (SEHD) has released details of phase one of the Contract Preparation Payments (CPP) which focuses on ensuring patient medication records are accurate and up-to-date.

Phase one payments range from £990 to £1838 depending on contractors’ NHS activity levels and pharmacists must ensure that each active patient record contains name, address, postcode, date of birth, GP reference number or practice contact details, CHI number, exemption status and carer contact details where known.

Pharmacists are also expected to review their internal procedures to ensure relevant governance issues have been addressed including compliance with the Data Protection Act and procedures for system back-ups and archiving of non-active records.

The SEHD guidance says the content preparation period is designed to develop use of electronic pharmacy data to improve direct services to patients and help underpin NHS board pharmaceutical care service planning.

During 2007-8 pharmacists will be expected to contribute to a national database of non-patient specific data to support forward planning. For phase one pharmacists have been asked to provide data on prescriptions dispensed to patients in care homes.

Details of the activity required for phase two and three of the preparation payments is still being discussed by the SEHD and pharmacy representatives but will include completion of training packs for implementation of the acute medication service (AMS) and chronic medication service (CMS) which will deliver electronic transfer of prescriptions in Scotland.

Pharmacists will have eAMS functionality in their systems from September and eCMS functionality by April 2008.

Link

Circular on payments for pharmacists

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