APPENDIX 3
Letter from the Chairman of Pharmaceutical
Services Negotiating Committee to the Clerk of the Committee (GD
8A)
At the evidence session on 4 November 1999,
the Chairman of the Select Committee invited the witnesses present
to put forward additional or supplementary written evidence should
they feel it to be appropriate.
The purpose of my writing again to the Select
Committee is to comment upon the verbal evidence given by the
Minister of State, Mr. John Denham MP. Clearly I have not had
the benefit of seeing a transcript of proceedings. Nevertheless,
there were two issues raised by the Minister to which I must respond,
namely the alleged failure of the PSNC to respond to proposals
from the Department of Health with regard to Category D items
and the failure of all parties to agree to appropriate transitional
arrangements for the implementation of patient packs in an orderly
manner.
Having now had the opportunity to study the
memorandum prepared for the Select Committee by the Department
of Health I am reassured by the absence of any mention of those
two aspects within the memorandum and I am glad to confirm that
the PSNC is broadly in agreement with everything contained in
that memorandum.
CATEGORY D—PROPOSALS
FROM THE
DEPARTMENT OF
HEALTH
It would be wrong for the Committee to assume,
from comments made at the session on 4 November, that PSNC has
failed to respond to the Department's proposals regarding Category
D. For sometime, PSNC and the Department of Health have been discussing
how the difficulties that have arisen might be eased by a change
to the Category D arrangements. Both the Department and the PSNC
agree that the arrangements must be fair to Government and to
pharmacists and ensure continuing supply of medicines to patients.
The discussions have hinged around the definition of what constitutes
a shortage of medicines. Following correspondence and several
meetings, the Department wrote to the PSNC with its definitive
proposals for change on 22 October and requested a response by
28 October. PSNC officers replied on 3 November confirming that
the Department's proposals would be put to the next meeting of
the PSNC scheduled for 10 November and, in the meantime, requested
clarification on several issues. We anticipate reaching agreement
with the Department on its interim proposals for amending Category
D very shortly.
PATIENT PACKS
When addressing the subject of patient packs
I was surprised that the Minister said that the discussions which
had taken place between the Department and the other parties did
not centre on the transitional arrangements and how the market
would react.
I attended all of the meetings during the last
phase of the discussions and confirm that, whilst the discussions
did not finalise every detail of the transfer to patient packs,
broad agreement was reached by all parties on most of the issues.
In particular, all parties accepted that there would be an ordered
phasing out of bulk supplies according to an agreed timetable.
Indeed, details of the transitional process was not only agreed
but was committed to print in the form of an agreed press release
which was issued to the profession and was to be backed up by
a publicity campaign. The reason for the discontinuation of the
discussions was the view of Ministers that the cost (estimated
at £20 million) would be too high a price to pay for the
introduction of patient packs. As a result of this any movement
towards patient packs has been left to the market place with the
result that both bulk medicines and patient packs may be available
for any product. Had the phasing proposals which had been agreed
been implemented bulk supplies would have been phased out and
the current diffculties, in all probability, been avoided.
I hope the Committee finds this useful. If I
can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact
me.
8 November 1999
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