Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of IT issues on pharmacies claiming payment for Pharmacy First Services that they have carried out.

Payments made to pharmacy contractors in England are set out in the Drug Tariff. Within the Drug Tarif there are discretionary provisions for advanced services, including Pharmacy First, that allow contractors to receive payment if the submission of claims data was delayed by an IT issue outside the contractor’s control. All payments are subject to an investigation by the NHS Business Services Authority and the required evidence being supplied by the contractor and IT system supplier.