The National Health Fund has issued a communication to pharmacy operators on on-call duty. It is about the work of pharmacies at night and on holidays. On-call work is financed by public funds.
The National Health Service has issued a communiqué on pharmacy duty.
Published Jan. 23, 2024 09:59
Fot. Tomasz Kobosz
Regulations introducing the possibility of designating pharmacies to carry out on-call services financed from the Fund's resources took effect on January 1, 2024. Fund financing is provided for on-call services carried out at a community pharmacy designated in a resolution of the county board. If the county board designates in the resolution several pharmacies to perform on-call duties on particular days (unevenly), the Fund will finance on-call duties separately at each of the designated pharmacies.
The Fund covers the cost of one on-call type on a particular day. For example, if two pharmacies are designated to perform an on-call duty of one type on a particular day, the Fund's funding is available to one pharmacy.
On-call services financed by the Fund are divided into full-time:
- on a non-working day for 4 clock hours between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm,
- at night for 2 clock hours between 7:00 pm and 11:00 pm.
Duty on a day off includes:
- Sundays,
days:
- January 1 - New Year's Day,
- January 6 - Epiphany,
- the first day of Easter,
- the second day of Easter,
- May 1 - State Holiday,
- May 3 - National Day of the Third of May,
- the first day of Pentecost,
- Corpus Christi day,
- August 15 - Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
- November 1 - All Saints,
- November 11 - National Independence Day,
- December 25 - the first day of Christmas,
- December 26 - the second day of Christmas.
Night duty covers every day of the calendar year - from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. (including weekends and holidays).
Funding of on-call duty on a day off does not preclude the Fund from funding on-call duty at night. The basis for calculating remuneration for an hour of on-call duty is the amount of the minimum wage. An hour of on-call duty is a lump sum remuneration in an amount equivalent to 3.5 percent of the minimum wage, determined under the provisions on minimum wage, per 1 hour of on-call duty actually performed.
If the minimum wage changes, the hourly wage is indexed. From January 1 to June 30, 2024, the on-call hourly rate will be PLN 148.47. From July 1 to December 31, 2024, it will be PLN 150.50 per on-call hour.
The county board may designate a pharmacy to be on duty for more than 4 hours on a non-working day or more than 2 hours at night. In this situation, the county, from its own funds, finances the pharmacy's on-call hours in excess of the dimension paid for by the Fund.
In order to sign the agreement, the provincial branch of the NFZ will notify the pharmacy designated for on-call scheduling in the county board's resolution in the NFZ Portal (Provider Portal/SZOI) about the initiation of proceedings to conclude the agreement. In the notification, the Fund will call on the pharmacy operator to complete the necessary data in the NFZ Portal, which relates to the on-call schedule, and to provide documentation - an application for a bank account number and a power of attorney - if established.
Upon receipt of correct, complete information and documents, and upon approval at the Fund branch of the schedule completed by the pharmacy, the Fund will immediately, no later than within 14 days, send a contract to the pharmacy operator for signing or inform the operator of the possibility of signing the contract at the Fund branch office.
The basis for billing and payment for on-call services provided during the billing period is a bill (or invoice) and a statement of the number of hours of on-call services performed.
Elaborated. based on: NFZ
