NI pharmacies to get £300 SSP cost reimbursement

Northern Ireland community pharmacies will receive a flat fee of £300 as the reimbursement towards costs associated with the introduction of serious shortage protocols (SSPs).

The Health and Social Care Board (HSCB) told community pharmacy owners in a letter on January 30 that they would be reimbursed for any "costs associated with development of processes, training within the pharmacy and the implementation of any SSPs that would be delivered in the remainder of the 2019/20 financial year."

In addition to the £300 payment, all pharmacists will also receive a fee based on dispensing volumes over a 12-month period.

Tier 1 (0 - 48,000 items) £128.12

Tier 2 (48,000 - 70,000 items) £256.24

Tier 3 (70,000 - 100,000 items) £384.36

Tier 4 (100,000 + items) £512.48

The funding will be included in the January 2020 payment to the pharmacies.

So far, no SSPs have been issued in Northern Ireland, while England issued the first three SSPs in October 2019.

The only SSP currently active in the UK is for Haloperidol 500 microgram capsules and it is due to expire on March 23.