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Prescriptions

Volume 488: debated on Tuesday 3 March 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many FP10 forms have been lost in transit from pharmacists to the Prescriptions Pricing Division of the NHS Business Services Authority in each year since 1997. (255594)

The NHS Prescription Services of the NHS Business Services Authority are aware of 241 separate instances, from April 1997 to November 2008, where batches of FP10 prescription forms, submitted for reimbursement by pharmacies in England to NHS Prescription Services, were lost, in transit to NHS Prescription Services.

Where forms have been lost or stolen, NHS Prescription Services or pharmacies followed this up with the postal service, courier or the police as appropriate.

On this basis, the number of FP10 forms estimated by NHS Prescription Services as lost or stolen in transit from pharmacists to the NHS Prescription Services are shown in the following table.

Financial year

Estimated number of FPIO prescribing forms lost or stolen in transit from pharmacies to the NHS Prescription Services (England) (thousand)1

Number of FP10 forms processed for pharmacies in England (thousand)

Number of FP10 forms lost as a % of the total number of FP10s processed for pharmacies in England

1997-98

17.0

2227,000.0

0.01

1998-99

14.1

2234,000.0

0.01

1999-00

17.7

2241,000.0

0.01

2000-01

61.5

2251,000.0

0.03

2001-02

28.7

2267,000.0

0.01

2002-03

11.9

2278,000.0

<0.01

2003-04

24.2

2306,000.0

0.01

2004-05

55.0

320,995.4

0.02

2005-06

10.1

334,424.1

<0.01

2006-07

30.8

345,053.7

0.01

2007-08

45.8

360,105.4

0.02

20083

46.6

250,770.9

0.02

Total

363.6

3,413,349.5

0.01

1 This figure is based on FP10 forms from pharmacies in England, but which may include FP10 forms written in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man but dispensed in England

2 Estimated number of FP10 forms processed for pharmacies in England.

3 April to November

Source:

NHS Prescription Services