Contractor Notice: Electronic route for submission of Temporary Safeguarding Payment claims

From December 2021, any claims for Temporary Safeguarding Payments are required to be submitted electronically to the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) by emailing the completed claim form to contractorpayments@nhsbsa.nhs.uk.  Previously, pharmacy contractors were required to print and complete a paper-based claim form to submit along with their FP34C submission document for that month.

With use of the MYS portal becoming compulsory for submission of FP34Cs from March 2022 (for prescriptions dispensed in February 2022), the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) agreed to a paperless route for submission of Temporary Safeguarding Payment claims. PSNC welcomes the interim electronic solution for such claims to be submitted via e-mail from December 2021. However, in future, PSNC would like to see Temporary Safeguarding Payment claims supported through the MYS portal to ensure there is a single channel for pharmacy contractors to submit and manage their claims.

From December 2021, for both types (Claim 1 and 2) of Temporary Safeguarding Payment claims, contractors will need to:

• complete the appropriate claim form;
• include the relevant declaration applicable to either Claim 1 or 2;
• sign the form with an advanced electronic signature (which can be a scanned image of a signature attached/included in the form or email); and
• submit via email to contractorpayments@nhsbsa.nhs.uk at the same time as the FP34C is submitted for that month.

These changes are reflected in Part XIVC of the December 2021 Drug Tariff.

Background

Part XIVC of the Drug Tariff sets out the Temporary Safeguarding Payment arrangements put in place where a pharmacy contractor’s dispensing business is adversely affected if prescribers systematically increase prescription duration on all or a significant percentage of their prescription items, due to direct or indirect instigation by the CCG. This could lead to dispensing contractors facing increased supplier bills in certain months (as more medicines are dispensed per prescription than usual) and then decreased prescription item volume in subsequent months.

There are two payments available, depending on the type of claim made:

• Payment due to an increase in supplier bills following an increase in prescription volume (Claim 1).
• Payment due to an increase in prescription duration and the subsequent drop in items dispensed and therefore fewer fees (Claim 2).

Claim 1 – To provide support to pay an increase in supplier’s bill

For a month where the prescription item duration has increased compared to that seen previously, as the contractor will have dispensed significantly more medication per prescription item than usual, the 100% advance (which is based on a historic net ingredient cost) is likely to be insufficient to cover the contractor’s supplier bill for the month.

For Claim 2 – Remuneration

For the months following an increase in prescription duration, contractors may experience a drop in items dispensed and as a result earn fewer fees.

For Claims 1 and 2, in general

• Claim 1 would not normally be expected to be made in the same month as Claim 2.
• Because of the nature of Claim 1 it would not normally be appropriate to claim it in consecutive months, but it may be appropriate to claim it more than once.
• Typically, Claim 2 would follow a Claim 1, but Claim 2 could be made where a Claim 1 has not been made in a previous month, for example, where prescription duration has increased slowly. In these cases, the usual 100% advance may have been sufficient, but the contractor is experiencing a reduction in fees and allowances for which they wish to claim.
• Because of the nature of Claim 2, it may be appropriate to claim it in consecutive months, but it is unlikely to be appropriate for it to be claimed every month.

For Claim 1 and 2, in situations where the claim is outside conditions agreed by DHSC and PSNC, the claim will be subject to joint verification by the NHSCB and the contractor’s Local Pharmaceutical Committee (LPC), subject to agreement with the contractor on LPC involvement.

Where a contractor makes one or more valid claims in the previous three months, they will be entitled to an “amendment allowance” of £30 for the quarter (regardless of how many claims made), in recognition of the administrative time required to make claims.

See our web page for more information on Temporary Safeguarding Payments.