New Medicines Service

[andrew paxton]

I think that this should have a department all to itself (Moderators please note!), but let's get started on this one.
Who agreed to the ridiculous payment structure for this service?

[DavidS]

My understanding (based on what I learned on a course) is that the PSNC wanted to create a structure where we would get paid more or less based on the work done, but where it would be difficult to create targets.

My informant was pretty clear that this wasn't going to be changed.

[andrew paxton]

It's dead easy to create targets with this service: Look at the last 3 months' figures and do an average of the number of prescription items per month. Take that figure up or down to the nearest thousand. Divide by 1000. That's the number of NMSs you need to do to be paid anything. Multiply that number by any factor you fancy (Area Managers please note!) and make that your target. It's pointless to do any non-integer multiple of the aforementioned number, as you don't get paid anything for that. The indicative target is 5x the number.

[LeftArm]

My understanding (based on what I learned on a course) is that the PSNC wanted to create a structure where we would get paid more or less based on the work done, but where it would be difficult to create targets.

Although they are creating targets themselves. On their web site it states:
"we have set a range of activity thresholds or targets."

After all the fancy calculations it works out that each NMS recorded is £25. They should just pay this £25 for each NMS up to the calculated maximum.

[andrew paxton]

Should pay, but don't... You only get paid for 20%, 40%, 60% 80% (and 100% is not mentioned, so I'm not sure about that) of the indicative target NMS's, so if your 20% is 5 NMSs and you do 4, you don't get paid at all, and if you do 9, you only get paid for the first 5. You've done 9*£25-worth of work but only been paid 5*£25, and the government have cheated you out of £100. Imagine missing the 20% by one every month. You are underpaid by £1200 a year. It gets worse. Come April 2012, the 20% is being abolished, and the minimum is 40%. You do 9 and don't get paid anything. That's £225 underpayment per month, or £2700 per year. That would be bad enough if it were new money, but it's our own money that has been withheld to pay for it. Category M

[Pharmanaut]

Should pay, but don't... You only get paid for 20%, 40%, 60% 80% (and 100% is not mentioned, so I'm not sure about that) of the indicative target NMS's, so if your 20% is 5 NMSs and you do 4, you don't get paid at all, and if you do 9, you only get paid for the first 5. You've done 9*£25-worth of work but only been paid 5*£25, and the government have cheated you out of £100. Imagine missing the 20% by one every month. You are underpaid by £1200 a year. It gets worse. Come April 2012, the 20% is being abolished, and the minimum is 40%. You do 9 and don't get paid anything. That's £225 underpayment per month, or £2700 per year. That would be bad enough if it were new money, but it's our own money that has been withheld to pay for it. Category M

So is it better to send scripts away to the competition while you do the services and met the targets set by your non-pharmacist AM?
Send away scripts could be those with stock shortages so that you spend less time phoning and faxing.
(Rhetorical question, but time management dictates you spend it on productive ie profitable activities)

[GAZ]

I'm just getting my head around the payments...let's say we do 15,000 items per month - we've already done to 6 minimum in nov to trigger the £750 initial payment - I know I have to complete 15 NMS in the month (minimum) to receive any payment (15 = £375) - what if I do 16 NMS's....what will I be paid??

Also, why can't i submit completed NMS's from the previous month(s) - it's not like they haven't been done?? This month I've managed to complete on 10 NMS's so why can't I add these on to January's???

confused!!!????

[andrew paxton]

I'm just getting my head around the payments...let's say we do 15,000 items per month - we've already done to 6 minimum in nov to trigger the £750 initial payment - I know I have to complete 15 NMS in the month (minimum) to receive any payment (15 = £375) - what if I do 16 NMS's....what will I be paid??

Also, why can't i submit completed NMS's from the previous month(s) - it's not like they haven't been done?? This month I've managed to complete on 10 NMS's so why can't I add these on to January's???

confused!!!????

You will be paid for 15 and the 16th will be lost. The 10 from December will also be lost. This is the problem about which I started this thread