To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the cost to the public purse is (a) of the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme in total and (b) for the recruitment of clinical pharmacists under that scheme as of 16 October 2023; and what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of that scheme on patient outcomes.
Answered on
23 October 2023
The following table shows total approximate spend for the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) as well as for the recruitment of clinical pharmacists:
Financial Year | Pharmacist spend (£ million) | ARRS (£ million) |
2019/20 | 34 | 53 |
2020/21 | 137 | 267 |
2021/22 | 216 | 519 |
2022/23 | TBC | TBC |
Total amount | 387 | 839 |
Notes:
- Spend on clinical pharmacists is based on data reported by primary care networks and integrated care boards and does not include advanced practitioner pharmacists or pharmacy technicians.
- Data for 2022/23 is currently not available as it is unvalidated.
NHS England has committed to review the ARRS during 2023/24. This work will cover the performance of the scheme to date and inform the Government’s approach to any future support for additional clinical roles in general practice.