Pharmacy Quality Scheme 2023-24
Pharmacy Quality Scheme (PQS)
Pharmacy Quality Scheme 2023/24
This year’s PQS launched on 1st June 2023 and consists of one gateway criterion (NMS) and three domains.
To qualify for payment, contractors must meet the gateway criterion by the end of 31 December 2023.
You can then claim payment during the declaration period, between 9am on 5 February 2024 and 11.59pm on 1 March 2024.
Contractors will also be able to claim an aspiration payment. This must be claimed between 9:00 on 4 September 2023 to 23:59 on 29 September 2023.The aspiration payment is optional for pharmacy contractors and not claiming it will not impact on the pharmacy contractor’s ability to claim payment for PQS 2023/24.
Further detail can be found in the June 2023 Drug Tariff and NHS England Pharmacy Quality Scheme Guidance 2023/24.
Key Deadline for Contractors
Aspiration Payment Window
The aspiration payment must be claimed between 09.00 on 4th September 2023 and 23.59 on 29th September 2023 via NHSBSA’s MYS application.
Gateway Criteria – New Medicines Service
By the end of 31 December 2023, pharmacy contractors must meet the gateway criterion to qualify for a PQS 2023/24 payment.
Contractors will not be required to make a declaration for this gateway criterion as the automatic verification assessment of whether a contractor has met the NMS gateway criterion will be confirmed against the NHSBSA’s payment data for NMS.
Contractors must have delivered a minimum of 15 NMS between 1 April 2023 and by the end of 31 December 2023 and have claimed for these by 5 January 2024. Any claims for NMS submitted to the NHSBSA after 5 January 2024 will not be considered for the PQS gateway.
Any pharmacies that fail to have claimed for 15 NMS by 5 January 2024 will not have met this gateway requirement and will not be able to submit a declaration for the quality domains during the declaration period.
Declaration Window
Contractors must claim payment for the PQS 2023/24 during the declaration period which is between 09.00 on 5 February 2024 and 23.59 on 1 March 2024 via NHSBSA’s MYS application.
Demonstrate evidence of meeting criteria
Contractors must have evidence to demonstrate meeting the gateway criteria and the domains that they have claimed for by the end of 31st March 2024.
Overview of PQS Domains 2023/24
Medicines Safety and Optimisation
- High risk medicines – anticoagulant audit
- Palliative and end of life care (PEoLC)
Respiratory
- Inhaler technique checks
- Inhaler waste management
- Referrals for patients using 3 or more bronchodilators in 6 months
- Use of a spacer in patients aged 5-15 years
- Personalised Asthma Action Plans (PAAP)
Prevention
- Antimicrobial stewardship and infection prevention and control
CPE – PQS Hub Webpage
CPE regularly update their PQS hub page to reflect any additional information that has been published on the Scheme and additional resources and FAQs to support contractors will continue to be added to this page.
Resources to support you
Overview of the Gateway Criteria, Domains and Training Requirements
Training Requirements
CPPE offer learning and assessments to support you in achieving criteria relating to the Respiratory domain in the 2023/2024 version of the scheme.
They also provide links to the learning available from e-learning for healthcare required to support you in achieving criteria in the Prevention domain.
To view these training resources, please visit the link below:
https://www.cppe.ac.uk/services/pharmacy-quality-scheme
Palliative care and end of life details for Devon link opens in Word
