2 January 2024
On Monday 11th December 2023, staff from BSO Family Practitioner Services (FPS) were delighted to welcome members of the Pharmaceutical Committee to BSO Franklin Street for an overview and tour of the Pharmaceutical payment processes ahead of the planned committee meeting. This provided a forum for committee members to engage and ask questions relevant to them in the live payment environment.
We are thankful for their active participation and a commitment from members to feedback their appreciation for the complex service that FPS Pharmaceutical provides to community pharmacy.
Committee members made reference to the importance of each and every unique and diverse role within FPS Pharmaceutical, in delivering the end to end solution for pharmacy payment.
Pictured above (L-R); David Craughwell (FPS Interim Assistant Director), David McCleary (FPS Drug Tariff Service Manager), John Hoey (FPS FPPS Functional Specialist and eBusiness Manager), Shane Crutchley (FPS Head of Data Management), Loretto McManus (Pharmaceutical Committee Member – Western Local Commissioning Group), Jason Murphy (Pharmaceutical Committee Member – Northern Local Commissioning Group), Damian Daly (Pharmaceutical Committee Member – Southern Local Commissioning Group), Sheelin McKeagney (Pharmaceutical Committee Member – Chair), Michael Cooper (Pharmaceutical Committee Member – CPNI), Martin Mayock (FPS Senior Principal Statistician), Rhonda Campbell (FPS Head of Pharmaceutical Payment Solutions), Clare Session (FPS Pharmaceutical Payment Manager), Gail Carland (FPS Pharmaceutical Service Manager)
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. This is in addition to processing payment for in excess of 500 pharmacy contractors within a 30-day payment cycle (currently processing at high throughout in excess of 2M prescriptions, in excess of 3.5M prescription items and paying in excess of £45M per month).
Supported by colleagues from FPS’s Data Management service, the Information Unit and the Planning, Support & Risk Management service, the Pharmaceutical 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).
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.
