Compliance Aids
Community Pharmacy offers a wide ranges of services free of charge. These are services that can, and probably should, be charged for.
Services considered reasonable to charge for:
Dosette Boxes
Also know as MDS, CDS, Compliance Aids
Disability assessment form – Assessment tool for compliance aids
A pharmacy is only required to make a reasonable adjustment for patients who qualify under the Equality Act (2010) (Historically the Disability Discrimination Act 1995). A person is regarded as being disabled, if they have a physical or mental impairment, which has a substantial adverse effect on that person’s ability to carry out day to day activities. Additionally, the impairment must be either long term (that is, has lasted more than 12 months) or is likely to last more than 12 months or for the rest of the person’s life (for example multiple sclerosis).(1)It is worth noting that the person who makes this decision is the dispensing pharmacist, not the GP, social care or any other agency. For patients who do qualify, a reasonable adjustment should be made in order to ensure they are able to utilise their medication correctly.
Reasonable adjustments include (but not limited to):
- The use of large print labels
- Providing a patient with non click lock caps
- Providing devices to make inhalers and dropper bottles easier to use
- Medication Reminder (MAR) charts
- Dosette boxes
The vast majority of patients who receive a dosette box do not qualify under the Equality Act and therefore you are providing a dosette box as a private transaction, free of charge. In these situations, it would therefore be reasonable to charge either the patient, the carer, social services or the ICB a fee for the supply of medication in a dosette box.
Community Pharmacy Dorset advises that a reasonable fee can be charged for this service (but not if it is provided as a reasonable adjustment under the equality legislation). It is at the discretion of the pharmacy contractor to determine whether to charge a fee and if so, the level of any fee.
(1) http://psnc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/PSNC-Briefing-001.16-Equality-Act-2010.pdf
AHSN Adherence Support Final Report January-2019
If you require more assistance, please contact Community Pharmacy Dorset.
