Independent pharmacy network Alphega has reported that its members had earned an average 2.7 more points through the Quality Payment Scheme (QPS) than non-members by the April 2017 review point – equating to at least £173.80 per pharmacy.

NHS England established the scheme to reward community pharmacies for delivering quality criteria relating to clinical effectiveness, patient safety and patient experience. The scheme is worth up to £75 million for pharmacies in England.

Alphega Pharmacy UK claimed that support initiatives such as its QPS Action Plan (available as print and electronic materials) and a ‘QPS roadshow’ helped members to understand the scheme and what they needed to do to meet the criteria.

When asked by P3 how Alphega members’ QPS ‘ranking’ was calculated, a spokesperson said: “The figures quoted were calculated by using the publicly available data and looking at the criteria of the QPS claimed for by each pharmacy – which informed the number of points earned and therefore income received. The Alphega members were then segmented leaving the ‘others’, allowing a comparison of points earned between Alphega members and non-members.”

The network said: “Throughout the second review point, Alphega Pharmacy UK continued to update the support it provides and kept members focused on the scheme, to ensure they have the best possible chance of achieving 100 points."