Dispensing Appliance Contractors

About:

Contracted to the NHS, these businesses dispense appliances listed in the Drug Tariff against prescriptions issued by GPs and specialist nurse prescribers. Member companies are represented on the PIPs Forum (Patients Industry Professionals Forum), a partnership between Patient Groups, Industry and Professional Groups involved in stoma and continence care, which officially launched in 2001 to address issues and challenges for patients, professionals and industry working in stoma and continence care. They are also members of the Scottish Stoma Forum which is a national reference group with representatives from patient groups, healthcare professionals and industry.

Additionally, the Section members have undertaken to abide by the DAC Code of Ethical Business Practice and give due regard to guidelines on advertising, competitions and marketing in the context of providing a prescription service.

Aims and objectives:

• To ensure all patients have equal access & choice to the most clinically appropriate products and services
• We will encourage the maintenance of specialist clinicians as the key adviser to patients
• We will challenge any restriction of patient or HCP choice of dispensing services

Market information:

Number of DACs by Country:

• England 111
• Wales 4
• Scotland 9
• Northern Ireland 2

Market size:

• Number of UK items dispensed by DACs: 11,801m +1.5% (12 months to June 2023)
• Total UK patients served by DACs in 2022: 400,000