Julian,
> What does the relevant professional body believe?
I asked a senior pharmacist (who wishes to remain unidentified)

"The simple answer is that this practice is not fraud.  It is about getting
properly paid for the actual work undertaken.  Any payments made to
pharmacists come from the global sum and if it is over/underspent in any
given year then the overspend is clawed back or the underspend paid in the
next financial year.  No extra money in the overall scheme of things accrues
to pharmacists as a whole, however, it ensures more equitable recompense to
the dispensing pharmacist as he or she gets paid four times for making four
labour and cost intensive instead of once.   In the few instances where
extra local payments have been negotiated with the PCT or CHP for providing
these services then as long as the pharmacist complies with the agreement
there can be no fraud.

Other than the difficulties of training an office clerk to press a keyboard
and finding a GP to sign four identical computer generated pieces of paper it
costs the GP next to nothing to generate the forms once a month.

As for a view from the relevant professional body, and I presume you mean
the RPSGB, it does not have one as payments for dispensing are a contractor
issue and the relevant bodies are the PSNC, it's Welsh equivalent and the
SPGC.  The RPSGB would only have a view if fraud against the NHS, other
health professionals or patients was taking place - in this case there is no
fraud."

Bet you love the middle paragraph ;-)

Regards

Jeff