DHSC publishes consultation response on changes to Part IX of the Drug Tariff
On 28th August 2024, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) published its response to the targeted consultation: ‘Medical Devices in Primary Care: Proposals for updating Part IX of the Drug Tariff‘.
Part IX of the The Drug Tariff contains the appliances and chemical reagents, which can be prescribed by prescribing practitioners in primary care operating under NHS General Medical Services and provides information on what pharmacy owners will be paid for providing NHS Pharmaceutical Services, including reimbursement of products dispensed. The aim of the consultation is to modernise Part IX of the Drug Tariff in order for DHSC and NHS England to deliver the best value medical devices for patients. Following the consultation, the Government intends to take forward the following proposals outlined below:
- Proposal 1: increase the use of comparable DT categories by enhancing the groupings of products with similar attributes.
- Proposal 2: introduce a renewal process to Part IX to keep the list up to date with clinical practice and ensure continued value to the NHS.
- Proposal 3: apply an enhanced assessment process for products to be listed on Part IX.
According to DHSC’s impact assessment the proposals may impact on pricing and availability of certain appliances. For example, the changes may lead to deletion of products from Part IX and/or a possible reduction in prices of appliances listed in Part IX – pharmacies will need to review their existing stock holding of affected appliances. There is also a risk of unintended negative consequences on product supply resilience and consumer choice if the changes lead to reduced number of medical device suppliers in the market.
Over the next 6 months, DHSC will work to develop the comparable categories for Part IX with a view to implement the changes starting with one pilot category. Community Pharmacy England will continue to monitor the impact of DHSC’s proposals for community pharmacies and the patients they serve. We will provide further updates once DHSC has finalised its implementation plans.
