Contractor Email Archive - Page 113 of 304

Dear Contractor

SPPG issued correspondence today, 25 May 2023, in relation to HSC Secure Email.

SUMMARY

Contractors will note:

The size of all Community Pharmacy HSC Secure Email mailboxes has been increased from 200KB to 2GB.
Contractors are asked to continue to review the content of their mailbox in order to move or delete emails that are no longer required.
SPPG communications that are issued to community pharmacies are also saved to sites including the BSO website, HSC website, NI Formulary website, and the Primary Care Intranet, all of which can be accessed through the Pharmacy Portal.
A guide to help pharmacy contractors securely delete emails that are no longer required has been developed and enclosed with the SPPG letter.
Contractors are reminded to check their HSC secure email account at least once per day to ensure important communications are received.

ACTION

Contractors should:

Review the SPPG correspondence and guidance and share with relevant members of the pharmacy team.

Please do not hesitate to contact CPNI offices if you have any queries.

Kind regards

**SENT ON BEHALF OF**
**GERARD GREENE**
**Chief Executive**

Dear Contractor

SPPG issued correspondence today, 25 May 2023, in relation to ordering LFDs for the Pharmacy Collect Service.

SUMMARY

Contractors will note:

Pharmacies contracted to provide the Pharmacy Collect NI service can continue to reorder LFDs using an updated order form which is available at the following link: Community Pharmacy COVID-19 Lateral Flow Device Distribution Service (Pharmacy Collect NI) (hscni.net)
Where supplies of LFDs are required it is important that pharmacies continue to email completed reorder forms as an attachment to: pharmPPEorders@hscni.net by 5pm on a Wednesday.

ACTION

Contractors should:

Note the details in the correspondence and share with any relevant members of the pharmacy team.

Contractors should contact BSO Customer helpline 02895361301 in the first instance or their local SPPG Integrated Care office should they have any queries. Contractors may also contact CPNI offices should they require assistance.

Kind regards

Dear Colleague

The second update of concessionary prices were granted today for May 2023:

Drug	Pack Size	Concessionary Price
Amoxicillin 125mg/5ml oral suspension sugar free	100	£3.42
Amoxicillin 250mg/5ml oral suspension sugar free	100	£3.50
Atorvastatin 20mg tablets	28	£1.56
Bimatoprost 100micrograms/ml eye drops	3	£3.99
Clarithromycin 250mg/5ml oral suspension	70	£5.38
Desogestrel 75microgram tablets	84	£3.45
Flecainide 100mg tablets	60	£4.22
Hydroxychloroquine 200mg tablets	60	£5.45
Ivabradine 2.5mg tablets	56	£49.00
Ivabradine 5mg tablets	56	£29.98
Latanoprost 50micrograms/ml eye drops	2.5	£2.08
Losartan 100mg / Hydrochlorothiazide 25mg tablets	28	£6.13
Nitrofurantoin 100mg tablets	28	£14.15
Nitrofurantoin 50mg tablets	28	£12.52
Omeprazole 10mg gastro-resistant capsules	28	£1.95
Oxycodone 5mg/5ml oral solution sugar free	250	£12.00
Perindopril erbumine 8mg tablets	30	£3.40
Phenoxymethylpenicillin 250mg tablets	28	£3.10
Pramipexole 180microgram tablets	30	£11.00
Promethazine hydrochloride 25mg tablets	56	£30.90
Risperidone 500microgram tablets	20	£3.26
Sodium cromoglicate 2% eye drops	13.5	£3.10
Spironolactone 50mg tablets	28	£3.99
Terbinafine 1% cream	30	£3.78
Topiramate 100mg tablets	60	£17.90
Topiramate 50mg tablets	60	£18.25
Trimethoprim 50mg/5ml oral suspension sugar free	100	£8.20
Valaciclovir 500mg tablets	10	£20.59

Concessionary prices will be paid against the usual code, no additional endorsements are needed.

Please continue to notify CPNI of any pricing issues you are experiencing via our new Medicine Shortage Reporter.

Concessionary prices are also published on the CPNI website.

Kind regards

Dear Contractor

SPPG issued correspondence on Monday 22 May 2023 providing an update in relation to the provision of PPE to community pharmacies.

SUMMARY

Contractors will note:

Prior to the pandemic, Community Pharmacies were responsible for sourcing (and paying for) their own PPE.
However during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Health provided PPE free of charge to the Community Pharmacy network since March 2020.
Updated IPC guidance recently issued by PHA recommends a return to the application of standard and transmission-based precautions when dealing with respiratory illnesses.
The recommendation for universal masking in all health and social care settings including care homes has been removed.
The latest guidance can be found at: https://www.publichealth.hscni.net/
In light of this position, the Department of Health has taken a decision to end the provision of free PPE to the Community Pharmacy network.
Therefore, Community Pharmacies should now revert to pre-pandemic arrangements for the procurement of PPE.
In the longer term, if PHA advice materially changes indicating higher risk due to COVID-19, this decision will be reviewed.

ACTION

Contractors should:

Note the details in the correspondence and share with any relevant members of the pharmacy team.
Review the updated guidance.
Revert to pre-pandemic PPE ordering processes.

Contractors should contact CPNI offices should they have any queries.

Kind regards

Dear Colleague

SPPG issued COVID-19 Spring Booster 2023 Update 6 on 22 May 2023. Earlier updates can be viewed here:

COVID-19 Spring Booster 2023 Update 1
COVID-19 Spring Booster 2023 Update 2
COVID-19 Spring Booster 2023 Update 3
COVID-19 Spring Booster 2023 Update 4
C OVID-19 Spring Booster 2023 Update 5

SUMMARY

Update 6 informs CPVS contractors:

Completion:

Almost 11,000 individuals have received their COVID-19 spring booster vaccine from community pharmacists across NI since the beginning of the spring campaign.
This includes over 8,000 care home residents from 334 (74%) homes.

Care Home Residents:

There is now one full week left to complete care home resident vaccinations.
The operational target for completing care home resident vaccinations (including those missed in original clinics) is next Wednesday 31 May 2023.
Should pharmacies have difficulty in scheduling dates or any other issue in relation to care home vaccination please contact Greg Miller (Greg.Miller@hscni.net), Bronagh Ward (Bronagh.Ward@hscni.net) or Helen Parr (Helen.Parr@hscni.net).

Primary and Spring Booster:

There are now five weeks left of the 2023 COVID-19 spring booster programme, which runs until 30 June 2023.
Until this date community pharmacists should continue to plan and operate clinics for all eligible individuals, for primary and booster vaccinations.
Community pharmacies who have signed a contract to provide the CPVS spring booster will be displayed on the NI direct map advertising the service.
Where eligible individuals contact pharmacy seeking vaccination, arrangements should be made for this to take place.
Movianto records indicate a number of pharmacies have not yet ordered vaccine.
Please ensure you have adequate vaccine stock available to accommodate vaccine requests from eligible individuals.

Community pharmacy spring 2023 vaccine product

The COVID-19 adult vaccine PGD is used by trusts, community pharmacists and general practice and therefore lists both the Pfizer and Sanofi spring vaccines currently used throughout NI.
However, Comirnaty Original/Omicron BA.4-5 is the only vaccine which was deployed for use by community pharmacists delivering the CPVS for all eligible individuals 18 years +.

ACTION

Contractors providing the CPVS are asked to:

Review CPVS Update 6, and the previous updates (1-5 linked above) if not already reviewed.
Take note of the deadline for completion of the vaccination of care home residents by 31 May 2023 and ensure the necessary plans are in place.
Take note of the completion date for the Spring Booster programme by 30 June 2023.
Ensure pharmacies have adequate stocks of the Comirnaty Original/Omicron BA.4-5 vaccine.

Kind regards

Dear Contractor

SPPG issued correspondence on Monday 22 May 2023 advising those pharmacies who participate in the Community Pharmacy Living Well Service, that access to the campaign surveys has now been reinstated.

SUMMARY

Contractors will note:

Living Well surveys had been on hold but are now reinstated and are available here.
Previous survey weblinks (survey monkey) can no longer be used.
Community pharmacies will receive the usual correspondence to notify of the survey launches prior to a campaign finishing.

Home Accident Prevention:

The survey is now available here.
This survey must be completed by 16th June 2023.

Live Longer and Stronger:

The survey is now available here.
This survey must be completed by 14th July 2023.

Look after your eyes:

Access to this survey will be emailed to pharmacies week commencing 5th June 2023.

General requirements:

When completing evaluation surveys please ensure you use the correct contractor number.
It is vital that all pharmacies contracted to provide “Living Well” submit their evaluation survey after each campaign as it allows SPPG to collate data to demonstrate the value and impact of the service to other sectors, and supports future commissioning and service development.
Failure to submit evaluation data may result in full or partial recovery of a community pharmacy’s Living Well funding.

ACTION

Contractors participating in the Living Well service should:

Note the details in the correspondence and share with any relevant members of the pharmacy team.
Complete the Home Accident Prevention and Live Longer and Stronger evaluation surveys if not already completed.

Contractors should contact CPNI offices should they have any queries or should their staff experience any difficulties in accessing or completing the surveys.

Kind regards