LONDON, February 18 /PRNewswire/ -- The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain has branded plans to give GPs cash for prescribing fewer medicines to patients as irresponsible bribery that potentially places patients at risk.

Family doctors are to be given cash incentives to provide fewer drugs to patients. The joint scheme will see profits from cutting drugs bills shared between GPs and private company, Assura, which is currently bidding to take over the prescribing budgets at two Primary Care Trusts (PCTs).

The RPSGB Director of Policy and Communications, David Pruce said:

Assura's agreements with PCTs to give GPs financial kick-backs when they prescribe cheaper, generic drugs amount to plain bribery.

Paying doctors to prescribe cheaper drugs is the wrong approach. Prescribing is a core role for GPs and the proposals to reward doctors who change their prescribing habits when it may not be in the best interests of patients is unacceptable.

Pharmacists are experts in medicines and doctors rely on them to provide current and precise advice to assist with prescribing. The move to effectively cut pharmacists out of the prescribing conversation for the sake of financial reward is not only morally wrong - it could put the lives of patients at risk.

The fact this is actually happening boils down to the reality that there are huge discrepancies between the amount of resources PCTs put into managing prescribing budgets. The most successful PCTs have teams of pharmacists working with the local prescribers to encourage high-quality and cost-effective prescribing. This is an effective way of keeping costs down and the quality of prescribing up.

In a well-functioning PCT, pharmacists talk to their local GPs about their prescribing habits and compare these practices with national and local trends. Pharmacists also discuss with local GPs ways of improving prescribing and tailor the advice to the types of patients being seen by individual doctors.

PCTs should use their money to improve their prescribing rather than allow private companies to bribe doctors in to providing patients with cheap medicines.

Notes to editors

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain is the professional and regulatory body for pharmacists in England, Scotland and Wales. It also regulates pharmacy technicians on a voluntary basis, which is expected to become statutory under anticipated legislation. The primary objectives of the Society are to lead, regulate, develop and represent the profession of pharmacy. The Society leads and supports the development of the profession within the context of the public benefit. This includes the advancement of science, practice, education and knowledge in pharmacy. In addition, it promotes the profession's policies and views to a range of external stakeholders in a number of different forums. Following the publication in 2007 of the Government White Paper Trust, Assurance and Safety - The Regulation of Health Professionals in the 21st Century, the Society is working towards the demerger of its regulatory and professional roles. This will see the establishment of a new General Pharmaceutical Council and a new professional body for pharmacy in 2010.

For media enquiries please contact the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain's Public Relations Unit +44(0)20-7572-2336

For media enquiries please contact the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain's Public Relations Unit +44(0)20-7572-2336