Medicines Care and Review (MCR) Ready Reckoner
Published: 13th April 2026
This week’s MCR Ready Reckoner has been updated and is now available to download or you can view it via the App.
If you have any questions regarding MCR or the Ready Reckoner please email Shaun who will be happy to help
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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The MCR Ready Reckoner is an Excel workbook produced by Community Pharmacy Scotland to help contractors estimate where they are on track to receive their minimum/maximum MCR Capitation Payment for a given month in relation to their assessed patient figures.
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MCR payments are based on a moving target. The number of assessments needed depends on national registration and assessment data that is reconciled at different points in the month. The Ready Reckoner provides the best available estimate using the latest data provided by PSD.
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It helps estimate how many assessed MCR-registered patients are needed to receive 100% of your payment, as well as the thresholds for the minimum (90%) and maximum (110%) payment levels.
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No. It provides a best estimate rather than a guaranteed figure, as final payments are calculated once all national data is reconciled.
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It is normally updated weekly and shared by Community Pharmacy Scotland.
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Your MCR Capitation Pool Contribution can be found in the “MCR POOL CONTRIBUTION, ESP and SE TARGET” section of your eSchedule from PSD. This is the amount that you can use in Ready Reckoner to calculate your assessment numbers needed.
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This was last rebased in July 2022. The annual contribution amount per contract is based on 12 months of part7 non-zero discount gross ingredient cost (P7 non-zd GIC) between November 2020 and October 2021 as a proportion of the total national P7 non-zd GIC. This is in line with the original method of calculation in 2012.
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The Medicines Care & Review service supports people with long-term conditions by helping them get the best from their medicines and reducing the risk of harm. It replaced the Chronic Medication Service but retains the same overall aim of providing pharmaceutical care. More info can be found here.
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Stage 1 is the initial medication review completed for each registered patient. Completion of Stage 1 assessments is required for pharmacies to receive their full payment from the MCR funding pool.
John Swinney and Maree Todd visit Alness Pharmacy to discuss the future role of community pharmacy in primary care.