In England, dispensing doctors play a crucial role in providing medications directly to their patients, particularly in rural areas. To ensure these practices are compensated for their services, a specific dispensing fee scale is used. This fee scale is designed to cover the costs associated with dispensing medications, including the administrative and operational expenses.

The dispensing fee scale outlines how much dispensing doctors are paid per prescription item they dispense. The scale considers the volume of items dispensed, with the fee per item typically decreasing as the number of items dispensed increases.

The fee scale is divided into several bands, each representing a range of prescription items dispensed within a specific period.

October 2024 changes

In October 2024, fees decreased when compared to April 2024.

Please see below a summary of the changes (previous bandings shown in brackets in the table below):

The dispensing fee scale is a vital component of the UK healthcare system, ensuring that dispensing doctors are appropriately compensated for their services.

Date of preparation: October 2024 UK-Gen-NP-01496

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6602c2eef1d3a09b1f32acb4/general-medical-services-statement-of-financial-entitlements-directions-2024.pdf Date of Access: October 2024