Charges for late submission of paper prescription bundle

An administrative deduction of £25 may apply if a paper prescription bundle is submitted late to the NHSBSA. A charge for processing of a late bundle would only apply if a contractor cannot provide evidence, where requested by the NHSBSA, that their bundle was submitted using secure track and trace delivery no later than the 5th day of the following month in which supply was made. Where evidence is submitted, no administrative deduction will be made. If no evidence is provided within the required time, then an administrative deduction will be made from the next Schedule of Payments. The deduction which will appear on schedules as ‘Late Fee’ under the section “Details of other amounts authorised”. Since the introduction of administrative charge for late bundle submissions, 16 contractors received a fine for submitting their March prescription bundles late. For the dispensing month of April, 24 contractors received a fine for submitting their bundles late. 

In instances where the contractor does not provide the evidence, but the claiming process was followed as outlined in the Drug Tariff, the contractor can challenge the NHSBSA’s decision to deduct the administrative charge, by providing evidence and submitting it alongside an appropriate claim form available on NHSBSA’s website. The contractor will need to submit the evidence and the appropriate form no later than one month after the month in which the administrative deduction was made. The claim form along with required evidence must be submitted via email to PrescriptionAppeal@nhsbsa.nhs.net or alternatively the form can be posted to the NHS Business Services Authority, Bridge House, 152 Pilgrim Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 6SN. If the challenge is successful, the NHSBSA will apply a full refund to the next payment.

Prescription bundle submission process

The Drug Tariff requires contractors to dispatch their paper prescription bundle to the relevant pricing division of the NHSBSA, using a secure manner that enables tracking and tracing of their delivery, by no later than the 5th day of the month following that in which the supply was made. For example, paper prescriptions dispensed in June 2022 must be sorted and dispatched to the NHSBSA by the 5th of July. From August 2022 (for July 2022 prescriptions), contractors will receive in the post, an Account Identifier Document to be placed alongside their paper prescription bundle before it is dispatched for payment to the relevant pricing division of NHSBSA. Click here for more information on the new Account Identifier Document.

After dispatching the prescription bundle, contractors should track its status to confirm it has been delivered to/received by the relevant pricing division at the NHSBSA. If the prescription bundle has not arrived at the relevant pricing division as expected, contractors should make enquiries with the courier to establish the whereabouts of the bundle and notify the NHSBSA as soon as possible. Proof of postage by the 5th and/or delivery confirmation should be retained as evidence in case there are any issues for e.g. if a prescription bundle goes missing or is delayed in transit to the pricing division etc.

PSNC’s briefing titled ‘Administrative charges for late submission of prescription forms’ provides guidance for pharmacy teams on correct end of month submission processes and information regarding how the £25 deduction for late submissions is administered by the NHSBSA.

Click here for information on the correct prescription sorting requirements for end-of-month submission.

For any queries regarding monthly payments please contact contractorpayments@nhsbsa.nhs.uk.