"State of confusion" saw private patients get "high-cost" prescriptions for free

Friday 06 September 2024

A "small group" of private patients were receiving "high-cost" prescriptions for free from the Hospital Pharmacy amid a "state of confusion" in the service giving rise to a serious legal matter, it has emerged.

The Health Department this afternoon confirmed to Express that private patients will be charged for all of their prescriptions from the start of next month as a result.

A joint statement from the Health Minister and his department explained that the information came to light after a new electronic prescribing system was introduced earlier this year.

"The whole thing has been a bit lax"

The statement said: "Following the implementation of Electronic Private Medicines Administration (EPMA) earlier this year, it became evident that a small group of patients were receiving high-cost private prescriptions for free.

"HCS and the Minister acted quickly, and in June of this year, to review the situation. All private prescriptions will, once again, be charged for, with the change commencing 1 October."

Pictured: Health Minister Tom Binet reassured islanders that there "should be no gaps between prescriptions".

The statement continued: "It is recognised that some patients may find that they cannot pay for high-cost drugs privately.

Any patient in this position will be given the option to return to the public sector, and receive treatment in line with HCS protocols and NICE guidance.

"Those patients who decide to remain private patients will be charged. All other private prescriptions, and those taken to the community pharmacy, will be charged for accordingly."

Pictured: It became evident that "a small group of patients were receiving high-cost private prescriptions for free" earlier this year.

Speaking to Express, Health Minister Tom Binet said: "The whole thing has been a little bit lax, if I’m honest.

“There should – by law – be a difference between private patients with private payments for prescriptions, and public patients with public prescriptions.

“But when we introduced the electronic prescriptions, it became apparent that there had been some drift and some confusion.”

"We're required to do that by law"

The Health Minister said he believed that the issues started during the pandemic.

Deputy Binet explained: “It got into a state of confusion where some people appeared to be getting a subsidised prescription from a private clinician.

"But what we should be doing is having a clear separation between the two [private and public prescriptions].

"That's what we're required to do. I'm advised that we're required to do that by law."

"This would be viewed as fraud in the NHS"

The issue was previously raised in the the Royal College of Physicians' damning review of Jersey's rheumatology department, published at the start of the year.

In the report, the reviewers criticised the fact that there were "no mechanisms in place" for Hospital Pharmacy staff to understand whether the prescriptions they filled for high-cost biologic drugs were for public or private rheumatology patients.

When the review was discussed by the Health Advisory Board in February, members echoed concerns that "patients seen privately were issued with a public prescription".

"This would be viewed as fraud in the NHS," according to the board minutes.

Pictured: From 1 October, private patients will be charged for all their prescriptions. 

The Health Minister explained that the changes would be implemented from 1 October to give patients adequate notice – but reiterated that this is a case of "returning to where we should be".

Deputy Binet was unable to confirm how many islanders were impacted by the change, stating: "I haven't got access to that to that data."

He said: "We're going to monitor what happens as a result of returning to normal. We'll see what comes out of the woodwork.

"We'll monitor the situation quite closely as we go through the coming months."

A "legal matter" – not about "making money"

The Health Minister was keen to reiterate that that change "isn't about making money" – but a "legal matter".

"This is about recognising what we're supposed to be doing in accordance with the rules and making sure we do it," he said.

"Whatever the financial outcomes of that are shouldn't be the guiding factor.

"The guiding factor is doing the things that we're supposed to do according to the law and the policy."

Pictured: "If you've been getting prescriptions, you'll carry on getting prescriptions."

He reassured islanders that there "should be no gaps between prescriptions".

"If you've been getting prescriptions, you'll carry on getting prescriptions – but you'll be in the public system," he said.

"You've either got private care or you haven't got private care. I can't be more straightforward than that, because that's how it is."

"The Health service has bumbled along"

When asked how the changes would be communicated to patients, Deputy Binet said: "We've issued a statement and I hope that statement is clear.

"If anybody really is uncertain, they can contact the clinic or their GP – but I think the statement says what it needs to say."

The Health Minister concluded: "I think it's safe to say that the Health service has bumbled along without sufficient forward motion for quite some time – and we're now going through a period of what might look a bit like relatively turbulent times.

"But what it really is is trying to address a whole lot of issues in a relatively short space of time to try and make the system more coherent and more efficient."