Lancets
Unilet General Purpose Lancets 0.81mm/21gauge are now discontinued by the manufacturer and no longer available.  Unilet Superlite Lancets 0.66mm/23gauge are also no longer available but will be paid if endorsed as Unilet General Purpose Superlite Lancets.

Endorsing Tips
'All computer generated quantity endorsements are treated as a packsize unless endorsement indicates a quantity e.g. Q28 or 28/28' 

Lymphoedema Garments
A large selection of Lymphoedema Garments was added to Part 2 of the DT last year.
Please note that there is a list of additional options in the section for Jobst Elvarex Lymphoedema garments.
In order to be paid for any of these additional options, they must be prescribed as a separate item to the garment itself.
We believe that Silicone Bands are often required for these garments. If you supply Silicone bands please ensure that they are itemised on the prescription form as they currently cost £7.35 each.

Unscheduled Care
Question
Is there still a payment to pharmacies for taking part in this service?
Answer
Yes.    A payment of £105 per month is made to each pharmacy that has a pharmacist who has signed the current PGD and is registered with the NHS Board for this service.  The payment is detailes on your monthly payment schedule CP002.
If you want your pharmacy to provide this service you should ensure that a pharmacist who works in your pharmacy has signed the most recent PGD and has named your pharmacy as their main place of work.

Homeopathic Products on MAS Prescriptions
Some homeopathic products are allowed on CP2 forms and some are not. 
As a general rule, if the product is licensed as either P or GSL and is not Black Listed, then it can be prescribed on a CP2 form.
Our Contract Negotiating Team is about to take the matter of MAS prescribing to the Scottish Government in a bid to simplify and clarify both what can be prescribed and how PSD prices the prescriptions.

Cyclosporin Caps
Question.
Would pharmacist get paid for Cyclosporin Caps x 120 when 112 were prescribed.
Answer.
No.  Cyclosporin Caps are held on file in calendar packs of 30, with sub-packs and would get paid to the nearest sub- pack.  Therefore would only get 115 if endorsed.

Portable Oxygen
Question.
Is Portable Oxygen allowed on a GP10A.
Answer.
No it is not allowed. 

Oxygen Claim Forms
Question
From where can I obtain GP64 oxygen claim forms?
Answer
These forms can be obtained from your NHS Board Primary Care department.

Disallowed Item - Oralmedic
Question
Is Oralmedic, a treatment for mouth ulcers, allowed on the NHS prescritptions.
Answer
No
Oralmedic is classed as a medical device and is therefore not allowed on NHS prescriptions as it is not in the Scottish Drug Tariff.  The only medical devices allowed on NHS prescription are those which are specifically mentioned in the Drug Tariff.

Items not collected
Our checkers have noticed that forms which are submitted to PSD on which the pharmacist has written 'dispensing fees only' or 'item not collected' tend not to have the declaration completed on the reverse of the form.    PSD will deduct a prescription charge from such forms, unless you clearly endorse that NO CHARGE was deducted.

Endorsement of Serially Dispensed items
Question
Is it still necessary to endorse the front of prescription forms with details of serial dispensing?
Answer
Yes.
Even though there are no fees paid directly for serial dispensing to contractors in Transition, these fees do count, in retrospect, towards calculating your Transitional payment.
If the prescription is for methadone then you must endorse clearly on the front of the form under the pack size box:  
Total amount of drug - number of dispensing - number of supervisions.
If you have not supervised the administration of the dose then the last figure should be a zero.

Question
Do I still need to complete and submit PC70s (Purple forms)?
Answer
Yes, if the product you have dispensed serially is a controlled drug.  Please remember that PSD does not process these forms, so in order to be paid correctly you must endorse the prescription form with the details as described above. However, you are legally obliged to sign and date the prescription form each time you dispense a controlled drug.   The PC70 is linked and is counted as an extension to the original form as you will have transferred the form number to the PC70.  There is plenty of space to sign and date the PC70 each time you dispense. 
You do not need to complete PC70s for items you dispense serially which are not controlled drugs.

Shortages
Question
If there is a recognised shortage of a Scottish Drug Tariff item and the equivalent proprietary product is Black Listed, if I endorse that I have supplied the Black Listed branded product what will PSD price?
Answer
According to PSD's pricing manual,  if you endorse either the name of the branded product or the manufacturer and price, PSD will price the endorsed product.Please note that this only applies where The Scottish Government has agreed that there is a genuine shortage of the generic product which is in Part 7 of the Drug Tariff.
You can find a list of the agreed shortages for this month under Latest Information in the Contractor Services Section of our web-site.

Probiotic Food Supplement
VSL #3 Probiotic Food Supplement (Ferring Pharmaceuticals)
Question
Can I dispense this item.
Answer
Yes - this item is classed as a Pay and Report item.
The Pharmacist will be reimbursed for the item but the GP may be asked to justify the prescribing of the item.

MAS Prescribing
Sodium Cromoglycate Eye Drops 2%
This product is in Part 7 of the Drug Tariff as a POM pack of 13.5ml.   Consequently PSD's pricing system can only price from this pack and because the product is held as a POM, a MAS prescription written generically will be disallowed.   The only solution at present is to prescribe a proprietary, branded product.

Plavix/clopidogrel
Change of Pack Size.
In October 2007 Sanofi Aventis changed the pack size of Plavix (Clopidogrel) from 28 to 30.  PSD has amended its database accoringly.
If you receive a prescription for this product for a quantity of 28 you may dispense a pack of 30.  However you must clearly endorse the quantity dispensed.  It is not enough to endorse 30 in the pack size box; you must endorse Q30 or Q 1x30.

Sildenafil
Question
Are Sildenafil 20mg tablets allowed on an NHS prescription without the annotation 'SLS'.
Answer
Yes. 
There are now two versions of Sildenafil .
The more common version is the one for Erectile Dysfunction (in 25mg, 50mg & 100mg tablets), which is in Schedule 2, and must be annotated `SLS' by the prescriber.
The second version is in 20mg tablets, under the brand name Revatio™. This is indicated for Pulmonary Hypertension, which is a very rare condition. Prescriptions for Sildenafil 20mg tablets (usually a dose of three times a day) do not need the `SLS' endorsement.The drug may also be prescribed as an oral suspension, which may be for a child. (The prescription should indicate the age of the patient, if under the age of 12.)  It may therefore be safely assumed that, the product is for pulmonary hypertension.  The prescription should not need the `SLS' marking.

Minor Ailment Service
Question:        
Why have I had a MAS prescription for Glycerin Lemon and Honey disallowed when it is in my local MAS formulary?
Answer:
This product is in the Black List so is not prescribable on the NHS.  PSD does not pass any prescription for Glycerin Lemon and Honey for payment.   Unfortunately the product appears in some NHS Board MAS formularies.   However local formularies do not override the Black List.  As a general rule please consider carefully before prescribing over the counter products that you would not normally see on a GP10. 

Expensive Items
Question:
Is there any extra payment for dispensing prescriptions for drugs which are particularly expensive?
Answer:
There is no formal way in Scotland to claim 'compensation' for dispensing an expensive item.   If the item will have an impact on your cash flow then the best course of action is to contact your local NHS Board to request an ex gratia payment.  Any payment made would be at the discretion of the Board.