Retrospective top-up payments
Published on: 5th April 2024 | Updated on: 21st January 2025
In March 2024, it was announced that from April 2024 a retrospective top-up payment system for price concession lines will be implemented. This is an outcome from the Price Concession Review, which was agreed as part of the 2022/23 and 2023/24 funding settlement for Community Pharmacy. This was a major review of price concession systems, conducted in collaboration between Community Pharmacy England and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).
Other major outcomes from the review of price concession procedures were as follows:
- All products granted a concessionary price would be classified as ‘discount not deducted’ lines for the month(s) in which they are granted a concession (implemented from April 2023); and
- There would be a process to roll over certain concessionary prices to the following months (implemented from May 2023).
Top up payments – how it works
Top up payments will be made for those concession lines where data subsequently identifies that the original concession prices granted were inappropriately low. If the Margin Survey of Independent Pharmacies indicates that there was a significant underpayment of a concessionary price, compared to the average purchase price paid by pharmacies for that month, this will trigger an automatic top-up payment.
The top-up payments will be applied automatically to all pharmacies who have dispensed the affected items.
These top-up payments will be paid on a quarterly basis, for products granted a concession price three quarters before. A new section will be added to the Drug Tariff, Part VIIIE. Items which are eligible for top-up payments will be listed in this part.
Retrospective top up payments will be displayed on the Schedule of Payments under ‘Details of other amounts authorised’ with the heading ‘Concessionary price top-up payment’
The first retrospective top-up payments will apply from April 2024, to reflect activity during April to September 2023 (i.e. the first two quarters of 2023/24 will be covered by a single payment).
Payments for 2023/24 Q3 and beyond will appear in line with the payment timetable outlined below.
| Items dispensed in the following months | Top-up payment month |
| April – June | January in the following year |
| July – September | April in the following year |
| October – December | July in the following year |
| January – March | October in same year |
Top up payments announced in
| Month applicable | Product for top-up | Top-up amount |
| April 2024 | Prochlorperazine 3mg buccal tablets (50 pack) | £2.93 |
| April 2024 | Rasagiline 1mg tablets (28 pack) | £3.90 |
| May 2024 | Fluticasone furoate 27.5micrograms/dose nasal spray (120 dose) | £5.29 |
| May 2024 | Itraconazole 100mg capsules (15 pack) | £4.44 |
| May 2024 | Lofepramine 70mg tablets (56 pack) | £2.52 |
| May 2024 | Memantine 10mg/ml oral solution sugar free (50ml pack) | £8.10 |
| June 2024 | Levetiracetam 500mg tablets (60 pack | £7.52 |
| June 2024 | Lofepramine 70mg tablets (56 pack) | £4.35 |
| Month applicable | Product for top-up | Top-up amount |
| January 2024 | Midazolam 10mg/2ml solution for injection ampoules (10 pack) | £4.01 |
| February 2024 | Zonisamide 100mg capsules (56 pack) | £6.35 |
| March 2024 | Aripiprazole 5mg tablets (28 pack) | £3.57 |
| March 2024 | Zonisamide 100mg capsules (56 pack) | £7.45 |
| Month applicable | Product for top-up | Top-up amount |
| October 2023 | Cyclizine 50mg/1ml solution for injection ampoules (5 pack) | £4.25 |
| November 2023 | Amisulpride 100mg tablets (60 pack) | £2.53 |
| December 2023 | Hydrocortisone 1% cream (50g pack) | £4.08 |
| Month applicable | Product for top-up | Top-up amount |
| April 2023 | Pramipexole 180mcg tablets (30 pack) | £5.33 |
| July 2023 | Itraconazole 100mg capsules (15 pack) | £6.73 |
| July 2023 | Pantoprazole 40mg gastro-resistant tablets (28 pack) | £2.60 |
| July 2023 | Paracetamol 500mg effervescent tablets (100 pack) | £3.93 |
| August 2023 | Atomoxetine 10mg capsules (28 pack) | £10.39 |
| August 2023 | Atomoxetine 25mg capsules (28 pack) | £7.74 |
| September 2023 | Docusate 50mg/5ml oral solution sugar free (300ml pack) | £2.84 |
Additional Information
How the price concession system operates
Price concession webinar now available on demand
Medicines Supply and Price Concessions Resources
Medicines Supply Factsheet (July 2022)
For more information on this topic please email comms.team@cpe.org.uk
