Cutting the budget deficit - we are doing our bit ...

We had some good news about our prescribing today. Keeping our prescribing costs under control and changing what we prescribe to more cost effective preparations is something that the practice can and does do. Over the last 12 months the practice has, with the help of a Community Pharmacist from Wakefield NHS, done several things to reduce our prescribing and ensure cost effective prescribing

  • Extensively used Script Switch - this is a computer programme linked to our clinical system that suggests more cost effective drugs. I have previously blogged about this. Click here to read how it works Script Switch - in the quarter ending 31/12/10 we accepted 37% of Script Switch suggestions.
  • Stopping prescribing glucosamine - we have reduced our prescribing of glucosamine from £456.26 per 1000 patients to £26.10 per 1000 patients in the quarter ending 31/12/10
  • Continuing to prescribe low cost PPIs (to stop stomach acid) - 94% of our prescriptions for PPIs in quarter ending 31/12/10 were for low cost PPIs.
  • Continuing to prescribe low cost statins (to lower cholesterol) - 81% of our prescriptions for statins in quarter ending 31/12/10 were for low cost statin.
Of course what really matters is getting our prescribing budget out turn closer to the budget amount. Currently our target is £1,580,117 and we are predicted to have an out turn of £1,882,996 - which is still nearly £300,000 above budget. But it is better than where we started from. Our costs growth has reduced from 10.5% in quarter ending 31/3/10 to 4.2% in quarter ending 31/12/10.

Now that is really good - although it might just be a blip - ha!

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