Month: October 2020

Dr Mark Timoney has been appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2020 Queen’s Birthday honours list.

The OBE has been awarded for services to Pharmacy.  Dr Timoney held the post of Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for Northern Ireland from 2013 to 2019. Throughout this period, he had responsibility for the direction and performance of pharmacy and medicines optimisation policies, the regulation and enforcement of medicines legislation as well as education and training. Dr Timoney’s leadership resulted in the pharmacy profession delivering significant improvements in quality, safety and innovative practice in support of population health gain.

He graduated from The London School of Pharmacy with a First-Class Honours degree and subsequently obtained a Master’s Degree in Clinical pharmacy and a Doctorate from Queen’s University, Belfast.  Prior to joining the Department of Health, he held the post of Director of Pharmaceutical Services for the Southern Health and Social Services Board and before this he was the Chief Pharmacist at the Mater Hospital.

Dr Timoney is currently a Director of Timoney Pharmacy, Lambeg, a community pharmacy established by his parents in 1954. He has recently been appointed Chair of the South Eastern Local Commissioning Group and is a member of the Statutory Committee of the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland.

Commenting on his award, Dr Timoney said: “It’s a great honour to be recognised in this way. This achievement is attributable in no small part to the support of my wife and children together with colleagues and teams within and outside Northern Ireland. I am pleased the award has recognised my contribution to the pharmacy profession. I hope that my ongoing work in pharmacy will contribute to the transformation and rebuilding of the wider health and social care services in order to improve the health and well-being of patients and local communities.”

Look out for our #pharmacyheroes campaign which we are rolling out across CPNI social media channels to highlight the work of community pharmacists and their teams working on the frontline in their local communities.

A selection of some of the cards rolled out on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram:

The Department of Health NI has issued correspondence regarding the current Serious Shortage Protocol (SSP) for fluoxetine 40mg capsules.

The Department advises that fluoxetine 40mg capsules are now back in stock at local wholesalers and, therefore, the SSP that is currently in force will end on Friday 16 October 2020 and will not be renewed.

Further information on SSPs is available on the BSO website which can be accessed via this link: http://www.hscbusiness.hscni.net/services/3063.htm

CPNI is delighted with how community pharmacy teams have again stepped up during this challenging pandemic period to provide the newly commissioned Flu Vaccination service, for health and social care workers (HSCWs) launched last week (w/c 28th Sept).

A flu vaccination service update highlighted:

  • 10,000 flu vaccines orders placed by community pharmacies.
  • 1,028 vaccines administered by community pharmacists in the first week (based on numbers of electronic forms submitted to BSO).
  • 84% of HSCWs who had vaccines administered in the first week by community pharmacists to be female, with the majority designated as Non-Trust Employed HSCWs.

Primarily, CPNI would like to thank contractors and pharmacy teams for your tremendous initial effort and enthusiasm in engaging with this important service. It is vitally important that we continue to work together to make this a success.  

Visit CPNI’s dedicated webpage for more information and training for service providers

First Minister Arlene Foster MLA has thanked community pharmacy teams for their ongoing commitment and support to patients and wider society during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The First Minister paid a visit to Hughes Pharmacy in Enniskillen on Friday 2nd October and met with pharmacist Paul Hughes to hear how his pharmacy team dealt with the pressures during the first wave of the pandemic.

During the visit, Mr Hughes outlined the wide range of measures that community pharmacies have introduced including social distancing, protective screens, use of PPE and the development of new services that will bolster local community-based healthcare, such as new delivery services that mean the most vulnerable will still receive medicines when shielding.

The First Minister also heard of the advancement of new services in local community pharmacies such as the flu vaccination service which will be provided to all health and social care workers in Northern Ireland in more than 350 community pharmacies this winter.

Speaking at Hughes Pharmacy, First Minister, Arlene Foster MLA said:

“It was eye-opening to hear from Paul Hughes and his pharmacy team today about the experiences they faced during the first wave of this pandemic.

“COVID has placed an immense burden on all of our frontline staff and it is humbling to see how people like Paul and his team have stepped up and put the needs of their patients first. These pressures have never been experienced before by our health service but when it mattered most, community pharmacists certainly went above and beyond to do their jobs and look after their patients.

“Speaking with Paul and his pharmacy team today has brought home to me how important community pharmacy services are. We can be nothing but thankful for their service.”

The First Minister continued:

“As we move into the winter months with the virus rising again, it was reassuring to hear about the measures and plans Paul and his team have put in place to deal with the demands ahead. This includes offering flu vaccine services and I echo the comments of the Health Minister this week and would encourage all health and social care workers to visit their local community pharmacy and get vaccinated.”

Paul Hughes of Hughes Pharmacy said:

“We welcomed the opportunity to meet with the First Minister today to talk about the pressures brought about by Covid and how we plan to bolster our services in the months ahead, which will no doubt be very challenging.

“The pressure faced by pharmacy teams during the first wave of the pandemic was immense.  By working longer hours, ensuring medicines were sourced and delivered to vulnerable patients and giving advice we did what was required on the frontline to look after our patients.

“We also spoke to Minister Foster about our winter service preparations, such as the flu vaccine service and the Minor Ailments Service which are available in local pharmacies across Northern Ireland. These services will prove to be crucial in keeping people away from hospitals and ease the burden on other healthcare settings such as Emergency Departments and GPs.

 “It is essential that the public work with us once again to protect each other and our health service. The spirit of ‘we are all in this together’ has never been more important and will be key to getting through the winter and saving as many lives as possible.”

Alex Easton MLA paid a visit to Helen’s Bay Pharmacy also on Friday 2nd October and discussed community pharmacy’s response to Covid-19 with community pharmacist, Dave McCrae. The visit was also an opportunity for Mr Easton to find out more about some of the services available to support the health needs of the local community in the coming months.

If you are a pharmacy contractor and would like to host a pharmacy visit with your local political representatives, please contact Jude Austin