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!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kings Medical Practice - Privacy Notice

How we use your information This privacy notice explains why the Kings Medical Practice collects information about you, and how that information may be used.  As data controllers, GPs have fair processing responsibilities under the Data Protection Act 1998.  This means ensuring that your personal confidential data (PCD) is handled in ways that are safe, transparent and what you would reasonably expect.  The Health and Social Care Act 2012 changed the way that personal confidential data is processed. Therefore it is important that patients are made aware of, and understand these changes and that you have an opportunity to object if you so wish and that you know how to do so. Health care professionals maintain records about your health and any treatment or care you have received within the NHS (e.g. NHS Hospital Trust, GP Surgery, Walk-in clinic, etc.).  These records help to provide the best possible healthcare. NHS health records may be processed electronically, on
Read more

Online services

The practice has recently extended the number of Online services that we have available. The Online services are available via a link from our website, click here or via the SystmOnline app from either the Apple App Store for iPhones and iPads or from Google Play Store for phones and tablets running the Android operating system. Not all the services that you can access via the website are available via the app though. SystmOnline is a web based service that is linked to the practice clinical record system, SystmOne. SystmOnline will allow you to: manage appointments - book, change and cancel view/request prescriptions add/change contact details send a registration request request access to your SystmOne detailed patient record and you can then view an audit of who has accessed your patient record view your medical summary and/or detailed patient record via SystmOnline view details of patholog
Read more

Rules for handling confidential information

The practice handles confidential health information and we have to ensure that it is held securely and shared appropriately. A number of laws, principles and obligations govern how we should handle this information. But they have grown increasingly complicated to understand and this has sometimes made it hard for staff to make clear decisions about when they should and should not share confidential information. I am the practice and also NHS Wakefield CCG Caldicott Guardian. It is one of my jobs to ensure that we handle patient confidential information correctly. I went on an update day yesterday for Caldicott Guardian and came across 'A Guide to Confidentiality in Health and Social Care' produced by the Health and Social Care Information Centre. Click here for the link. The guide has a five rules that are very clear and will help staff be clear about how they should protect information and when they can share it. It is also useful for patients because it simply and cl
Read more