Concession top-up scheme

Pharmacy press

Following news of the introduction of a retrospective top-up payment system for price concession lines, we issued a statement addressing the expected impact of the top-up and how much it might be worth to the sector.

A Community Pharmacy England spokesperson said:

“This change is likely to affect a small number of products each quarter, and we anticipate that the overall value will be relatively small. This is in effect a re-distribution of margin – to ensure that losses are not made on specific products where the original concessionary prices granted by DHSC were significantly below reported market prices. It does not increase the overall funding available to pharmacies.

Community Pharmacy England’s firm position remains that the margin element of the Contractual Framework, along with the overall funding quantum, needs urgent uplift. It is insufficient to reflect the ever increasing volume of dispensing and services provided by the sector. The margin system is not working as it needs to and the endless cycle of margin recoveries and concessions is eating into the financial sustainability of many pharmacies and the stability of medicine supply.”