PPA Articles: Your Complete Directory

PPA Articles: Your Complete Directory

19 March 2025
2 min read
Share:

Navigate all PPA topics in one place. Find in-depth guides on reimbursement, procurement, coding, and best practices to keep your practice profitable.

PPA Articles: Your Complete Directory

Overview

Welcome to our one-stop hub for all things Personally Administered Items (PPA) in NHS General Practice. Whether you’re brand-new to the concept or looking to optimize your process, the articles below guide you from basic definitions to advanced best practices.

1. PPA Basics: What and Why?

  • Summary: A clear introduction to personally administered items - what they are, which categories qualify, and why it’s important for both patient convenience and practice finances.

  • Perfect For: Anyone starting out or needing a quick refresher on the fundamentals.

2. The Reimbursement Process Explained

  • Summary: A deep dive into how the NHS pays you back for PPA items, including the components (Drug Tariff, discount clawback, fees, VAT allowances) and how they can change.

  • Perfect For: Practice managers and clinicians wanting to understand exactly how much money they can recoup - and why it can fluctuate month to month.

3. Common PPA Items (Vaccines, B12, Contraceptives, etc.)

  • Summary: Highlights the “bread and butter” claims, from high-volume flu shots to B12 injections and contraceptive implants.

  • Perfect For: Staff looking to see which items typically drive PPA income and usage patterns in the average GP practice.

4. Procuring Stock: How Practices Obtain PPA Items

  • Summary: Guidance on ordering from wholesalers or manufacturers, comparing prices, negotiating discounts, and managing inventory to avoid waste.

  • Perfect For: Anyone in charge of purchasing and stock control who needs to keep costs below the NHS reimbursement rate.

5. Deciding When to Use Practice Stock vs. FP10

  • Summary: Explains the pros and cons of administering a medication from your own stock vs. issuing an FP10 prescription, especially for high-cost or less-frequently used items.

  • Perfect For: Clinicians or managers weighing financial sense against patient convenience on a case-by-case basis.

6. Coding & Claiming Best Practices (EMIS Focus)

  • Summary: Takes a close look at how to accurately record PPA items in your clinical system (EMIS in particular) so you don’t miss out on reimbursement.

  • Perfect For: Anyone responsible for ensuring that every administered dose is properly coded and claimed - particularly practice managers and clinicians who do data entry.

7. Optimisation Strategies: Making PPA Work for Your Practice

  • Summary: Wraps it all together by showing how to maximize income (and minimize headaches) through careful procurement, coding, inventory management, and monthly audits.

  • Perfect For: Practices aiming to fine-tune their approach once they’ve got the basics under control.

Tips for Getting the Most Out of the Series

  • Share with Your Team: From GPs and nurses to practice managers, everyone benefits when the entire practice understands PPA workflows.

  • Revisit Regularly: The Drug Tariff updates monthly, so it’s worth revisiting the relevant procurement or reimbursement sections whenever changes pop up.

  • Keep Innovating: Once you’re comfortable with the basics, explore advanced tweaks—like monthly mismatch searches or specialized supplier deals—to continually optimize your claims process.