Advance Payment for High Cost
Prescription Item(s)

A high cost item can be described as any item dispensed in a single instalment on a prescription form. The amount granted will be at the discretion of each NHS Board. In order for a dispensing contractor to make a request for advance payment, the steps to be followed are outlined below:

Contractor to write requesting authorisation for advance payment to the NHS Board’s Director of Pharmacy, enclosing the original prescription form. A copy should be kept by the pharmacy – do not send the copy to PSD.

The prescription form must be fully endorsed by the contractor stating what was supplied and the cost, with any relevant invoices attached.

The contractor will receive written confirmation of authorisation from the NHS Board.

The Director of Pharmacy will then write to:

Mrs M Hanley
Pharmacy Payments Manager
Practitioner Services (Pharmacy)
Area 136C
Gyle Square
1 South Gyle Crescent
Edinburgh
EH12 9EB (Tel: 0131 275 6356)

enclosing the prescription form, indicating the amount authorised, the contractor name and address including Contractor Code, and the product supplied.

A “special” payment will be made as soon as practicable and will be recovered when the prescription has been processed in the appropriate dispensing month.