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HoC Answers - 30.06.10
McKinsey Report on NHS Efficiency Savings
Mr Sanders (Liberal Democrat, Torbay): To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to implement any of the recommendations in respect of the pharmacy sector and pharmaceutical wholesalers in the McKinsey Report on NHS efficiency savings.
Mr Simon Burns (Conservative, Chelmsford): We have no plans to make changes affecting the pharmacy and pharmaceutical wholesaler sectors based on the recommendations in the McKinsey report. We intend to build on the current contractual arrangements for community pharmacy, incentivising and supporting high quality and efficient services and optimising patients' use of their medicines to gain better value.
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the effect on the NHS budget of changes in discounts to pharmacists, hospitals and dispensing doctors by pharmaceutical wholesalers since 1996; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Simon Burns: The amount of retained medicine margin generated by community pharmacy contractors through discounts and identified through medicine margin surveys is shown in the following table. Medicine margin surveys were introduced as part of the community pharmacy contractual framework in April 2005. Information relating to hospital pharmacies and dispensing doctors is not collected.
Retained medicine margin (£ million) | |
2005-06 | 800 |
2006-07 | 1,161 |
2007-08 | 874 |
2008-09 | 770 |
Total | 3,605 |
Source: | |
Posted 1 July 2010