Purpose

This guidance provides a simplified overview of the requirements and responsibilities involved in setting up NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) cost centres to enable the delivery of prescribing-based services in the community pharmacy setting.

Overview

To enable integrated care boards (ICBs) to maintain oversight of prescribing for commissioned prescribing‑based services, ICBs must set up a cost centre (Y code) for each pharmacy contractor via the NHSBSA. This will enable all prescribed items costs to be attributed to a specific pharmacy contractor, independent prescribing pharmacist and the associated ICB prescribing budget. A cost centre also needs to be established prior to enabling the use of the Electronic Prescription Service for a pharmacy contractor.

Submitting a cost centre request

The request to set-up a cost centre must be submitted to the NHSBSA by the ICB’s nominated authorised signatory for pharmacy services via the relevant NHSBSA process (new cost centre proforma). Following approval of the request, the NHSBSA will confirm the set‑up of the cost centre with the nominated authorised signatory. The NHSBSA will link the cost centre for a pharmacy contractor to the pharmacy contractor’s organisation data service (ODS) code (F code). The ICB must inform the pharmacy contractor once the cost centre is established.

In addition to the set‑up of the cost centre, the ICB authorised signatory must request the assignment of specific independent prescribers to the cost centre, using their unique professional registration number (General Pharmaceutical Council registration number) via the relevant NHSBSA process (non-medical prescriber joining a cost centre proforma). Multiple independent prescribers can be assigned to the same cost centre, and the same independent prescriber can be assigned to multiple cost centres. Independent prescribers will be added to the NHSBSA prescriber details dataset so that dispensers can check the prescriber’s status for NHS prescriptions.

Prior to authorising the assignment of an independent prescriber to a cost centre, the independent prescribing pharmacist must have the appropriate approval to deliver prescribing-based services as set out in the relevant national and/or local guidance and in line with the ICB’s governance and assurance process.

Changes and ongoing maintenance

If changes need to be made to a cost centre for a pharmacy contractor (e.g. closure of a cost centre) or to the independent prescribers assigned to a cost centre (e.g. change of non‑medical prescriber details), the ICB nominated authorised signatory must notify the NHSBSA via the relevant NHSBSA process (see section on ‘notify us about changes’) in a timely manner to ensure prescribing is accurately attributed.

Publication reference: PRN02380ii