Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the process is for payment of general practitioners dealing with NHS prescriptions.

Where general practitioners (GPs) write a prescription which is dispensed in the practice, or provide a drug or medicine which is immediately necessary, the practice is reimbursed under provisions set out in the Statement of Financial Entitlements (SFE).

Once dispensed, prescriptions are sent to the NHS Business Services Authority (NHS BSA) with a claim for payment. The SFE requires NHS England to make a payment, at the beginning of the month following the claim, equal to 80% of the estimated amount due to the GP practice. Once the claim has been verified by the NHS BSA, they will advise NHS England who then pay the balance of the amount due.

Payments to GPs for dispensing drugs include the basic price of the drug, an appropriate dispensing fee and an allowance to cover the VAT payable on the purchase of any drugs or medicines which are personally administered.