Family Practitioner Services (FPS) aims to provide effective, efficient and economic Pharmaceutical Services including responsibility for delivery of BSO’s statutory obligation (on behalf of the Department of Health (DoH)/Strategic Planning and Performance Group (SPPG)) to compile, maintain and publish the NI Drug Tariff and Pharmaceutical List and to process payment to pharmacy contractors within a 30-day payment cycle. The service also constitutes, governs and provides secretariat administrative support for the statutory Pharmaceutical Committee to consult and engage with pharmacy contractors on the services BSO provide in relation to payment.
The service provides a wide range of data, reporting, advice, guidance and support to stakeholders including DoH/SPPG, pharmacy contractors and the public.
Operational support is given to the FPS Information Unit for the Margin Survey that is carried out to develop information about purchase prices and margins on pharmaceutical products.
The service also takes a leadership role in transformation initiatives including the ePharmacy Programme and the Drug Tariff Development Programme and their constituent projects such as the Electronic Transfer of Prescriptions (ETP) and development of a Drug Tariff Intelligence Unit (DTIU).