SPECIALS


certificate of conformity from the manufacturer, which needs to be obtained on delivery


• Patient details, such as the name and address


• The manufacturer’s details • The quantity of each supply


• The batch number and the expiry date of the product which should be listed on the certificate of analysis/conformity


• The details of the patient, prescription details and date of dispensing if appropriate


These details will allow for a full audit trail to be maintained for the special product, and will allow the safe and effective use of special medications in patients for whom they are required. Pharmacists should be aware of these requirements and audit recommendations, and should make sure that they carry them out in line with best practice and code of conduct guidance.


PAYMENT FOR SPECIALS Due to the expensive nature of specials, and their somewhat irregular dispensing from pharmacies, pharmacists should be adept at the processing of paperwork that will allow effective reimbursement for the products from the NHS. Community Pharmacy Scotland have issued guidance on the steps which need to be taken for payment to be made, and these should be adhered to in order to prevent incorrect or late payment.


This document makes reference to the fact that considerable differences in price may exist for the same preparation between manufacturers, and that the NHS board in question reserves the right to not make a full reimbursement on a dispensed product. As a result, pharmacists should get in touch with their local NHS board, and ensure that they are going to be fully reimbursed. In addition to this however, Practitioner Services do generally make full payments on the following without question:


• A product with Coal Tar or Cade Oil as one of its ingredients


• Sterile products


• Imported lines where a UK equivalent does not exist


18 - SCOTTISH PHARMACIST


• If the invoice price is within £100 of the price calculated for extemporaneous preparation of the product


In cases where these points do not apply, pharmacists are urged to get in touch with the payment agency, and check that they will be paid in full for the required product.


When claiming for payment for these preparations, Community Pharmacy Scotland again provide advice on what steps must be taken to ensure that payment can be made correctly. The procedure for claiming payment for a special involves:


• Endorsement of the prescription form with the invoice price of the special supplied, including postage and packaging costs which have been incurred as “out of pocket” expenses


• A legible copy of the invoice should be submitted with the prescription form


At this point, the prescription will be assessed, and payment made where it is clear that the item needed to be prepared by a specials manufacturer due to the lack of an alternative route of supply. If this is not the case, payment will be made to cover the ingredients of the product initially, and the health board in question may ask why a special product was requested before making full payment8


. As such,


it is important that pharmacists adhere to their responsibilities in order to make sure that special products are dispensed only where necessary.


The dispensing and management of special products can be seen to involved a lot more effort than may have initially been imagined. However, a large number of guidance documents have been produced by NHS Scotland in order to assist pharmacists, inform them of their responsibilities, and ensure that products dispensed are in the best interests of the patient, and also the health service.


We pharmacists should keep ourselves abreast of this information regularly to ensure that we offer the best service possible. •


REFERENCES


1 IPS Specials. About Specials. 2014; Available at: http://www.ipsspecials.com/specials/about-specials. Accessed 01/06, 2015.


2 Association of Pharmaceutical Specials Manufacturers. Specials White Paper - Value and quality for the NHS. 2014; Available at: http:// acsmblog.blogspot.co.uk. Accessed 06/01, 2015.


3 Michele Paduano. Drugs ‘specials’ cost NHS £160m. 2010; Available at:


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-11376557. Accessed 01/06, 2015.


4 NHS Fife. Fife Prescribing Update. 2013; Available at: http://www.communitypharmacy.scot.nhs.uk/documents/nhs_boards/ fife/Fife%20Prescribing%20Update/Fife_Prescribing_Update_42.pdf. Accessed 01/06, 2015.


5 Association of Pharmaceutical Specials Manufacturers. The Specials Tariff - Two Years On. 2013; Available at: http://acsmblog.blogspot. co.uk. Accessed 01/06, 2015.


6 NHS Kirklees. Community Pharmacy Newsletter. 2010; Available at: http://www.kirklees.nhs.uk/fileadmin/documents/New/Public_ Information/med_mgt/Newsletters/Sept_10_-_Community_Pharmacy_ Newsletter.pdf. Accessed 01/06, 2015.


7 The Pharmaceutical Journal. Specials manufacturers losing out as pharmacists try to reduce costs. 2012; Available at: http://www. pharmaceutical-journal.com/news-and-analysis/news/specials- manufacturers-losing-out-as-pharmacists-try-to-reduce-costs/11105821. article. Accessed 01/06, 2015.


8 Community Pharmacy Scotland. Specials. 2014; Available at: http://www.communitypharmacyscotland.org.uk/_resources/files/ Specials.pdf. Accessed 01/06, 2015.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56