§ 2.44 p.m.
§ The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
§ Whether they will refund to dispensing doctors the difference between the scale rates of the Discount Abatement Scheme introduced on 1st April 1995 and the Revised Discount Abatement Scheme introduced on 1st October 1995.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Baroness Cumberlege)No, my Lords.
§ The Countess of MarMy Lords, does the Minister appreciate that rural dispensing practices are now very hard pressed? Doctors in the larger practices have lost something like £10,000 in six months. Moreover, they are having to pay extra money for staff funding because FHSAs are not reimbursing them; they cannot increase their capitation fees because they have a mainly statis population: and they cannot do clinical duties because they are so far away from hospitals. Will the noble Baroness please look again at the problem? That £10,000 could have gone to patient care, especially when one compares it with the £68 million which is being held by fund holders at present in excess.
§ Baroness CumberlegeMy Lords, I should make the point that GPs who take on the responsibility do so 1270 voluntarily. When the BMA recently had a survey, only one in four GPs actually wanted to carry out dispensing. We recognise some of the problems that the noble Countess has mentioned. In fact, as she will know, we reviewed the scheme which was agreed by the BMA because we appreciated the points that it made. We have altered the scheme, and we now understand that the BMA is satisfied with it.