Endorsing NCSO Prescriptions

If you are using the NCSO endorsement for centrally procured stock of Paxlovid®, see Endorsing COVID Medication - May 2025.
Note - NCSO is applicable to pharmacies in England and Wales.

There is a set reimbursement price for the supply of drugs listed in Part VIII of the Drug Tariff. Occasionally there are shortages of these products, for example, if there are manufacturing problems or a change in demand, leaving pharmacy contractors faced with dispensing an equivalent product that is only available at above the set drug tariff price.

When this happens, Community Pharmacy England can apply to the Department of Health for either concession pricing or for the No Cheaper Stock Obtainable (NCSO) concession to be granted for a particular month.

If a concessionary price for a product is announced, this price becomes the default price for the remainder of the month, and no additional endorsement is required.

If NCSO is granted, an endorsement is required. Pharmacy Manager products can be configured to remind you that when those products are dispensed, they can be endorsed with NCSO.

See Product Details - Endorsing for guidance on configuring the NCSO prompt.

Whilst dispensing, NCSO prompts display in Warnings.

In the image above, the lower prompt is a simple alert that informs you that NCSO endorsements can be applied. The other prompt summarises what will be automatically appended, as the printed endorsement or as part of the electronic claim, if you do not make any manual override.

To edit the endorsement:

  1. Select Endorse .

  2. The Endorsements screen displays.

    Complete the following, if not already populated:

    • NCSO:

      • Pharmacist initials

      • Pack Size

      • Text - Add any other required information that has not appeared, by default, this will show the manufacturer name or the brand name.

    • Net ingredient cost (exc. VAT) - Enter the value of the pack size before discount and excluding VAT, rather than for the quantity dispensed.

  3. Select OK .

Note - If you have previously appended a trade price to the product item details, this price will be used for the price endorsement. However, it can be overwritten/updated as required.

Please note:

  • If NCSO is enabled but you have obtained stock prior to the NCSO concession being announced, you can remove the NCSO prompt. See Product Details - Endorsing for details.

  • If any of this information is missing, payment will be based on the Drug Tariff price rather than the endorsed product.

  • The NCSO endorsement applies in both England & Wales.

Note - To print this topic select Print in the top right corner and follow the on-screen prompts.