Archives: Contractor Email

Dear Contractor
The Business Services Organisation have today issued a Medicines Supply Notification regarding antibiotics for the treatment of Group A Strep HERE.

SUMMARY

  • Supplies of antibiotics for the treatment of Group A Strep have seen a surge in demand and may be temporarily in limited supply at certain wholesalers and pharmacies.
  • Supplies are available with manufacturers, and deliveries into wholesalers and pharmacies are being expedited and are expected in the coming days.
  • Guidance has been issued on what antibiotics can be used if first line treatment is not available and can be found HERE.
    • This guidance has been developed to support management of GAS infections in England however the information on antibiotic selection remains applicable in Northern Ireland. Local guidance is in development.

ACTION

  • Contractors and their pharmacists are asked to review the attached correspondence and ensure pharmacy teams are aware of the communication.
  • The communication provides guidance on what action is required:
    • Where antibiotic therapy is required for the treatment of suspected Strep A infection
    • If the formulation of antibiotic prescribed is unavailable
    • If the antibiotic prescribed is unavailable and other formulations are unsuitable and
    • Use of solid oral dosage form antibiotics in children.
  • If you have any further queries, please contact the Business Services Organisation or the CPNI office.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive

Dear Contractor,

A number of Contractors have received this letter from SPPG earlier this week directing that they provide Rota services over the Christmas and New Year holiday period.

CPNI has sought clarification on the appropriateness of SPPG directing pharmacies to do so and, today CPNI has sent this letter to Mr Joe Brogan.

Advice received by CPNI would indicate that SPPG have not followed due process in directing Contractors regarding Rota services at this time.

As you are aware CPNI will be meeting the Permanent Secretary DoH(NI) on Wednesday 14 November 2022 to discuss various pharmacy matters and CPNI will update you further then.

Please do not hesitate to contact CPNI offices, or your local Director if you require any further information.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF 
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive

This update contains important information for community pharmacy teams, including details of the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

BSO ALERTS 

CPNI ALERTS 

SPPG Correspondence to Rota Pharmacies 7 December 2022

DOH(NI) ALERTS 

Pharmacy team(s) can keep updated via CPNI’s Contractor Calendar or Contractor Emails

Or report medicine shortages, pricing and staffing issues via the CPNI’s Medicine Shortage Reporter or Situation Reporter

Please bring this to the attention of your pharmacy team(s).

Kind regards
SENT ON BEHALF OF 
DR. GARETH C. GILVARY
Governance & Support Pharmacist

Dear Contractor,

CPNI understands local SPPG offices have written to pharmacies scheduled to provide Rota services over Christmas/New Year to direct that Rota be provided, with staff at local SPPG offices following the letter up with a phone-call to pharmacists in the pharmacy.

CPNI will be seeking further clarification in relation to the correspondence issued and we will update you accordingly. In the interim, you may want your pharmacists to re-direct any follow-up calls to the Contractor or the relevant person within your pharmacy practice.

CPNI Board meets later this week and a meeting with the Permanent Secretary DoH(NI) will take place on Wednesday 14th December.

The priority for CPNI remains the provision of safe services to patients and fair & reasonable remuneration for the services provided by Contractors and their teams. Accordingly, the meeting with the Permanent Secretary on 14th will be important in that context.

Operational and funding difficulties in community pharmacy continue to worsen and it is unusual for SPPG to take this assertive stance in relation to Rota rather than focussing on resolving the fundamental issues that are causing current problems.

We will update you further over the coming days.

Please do not hesitate to contact the CPNI office or any CPNI Director should you require further information.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF 
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive

This update contains important information for community pharmacy teams, including details of the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

BSO ALERTS 

CPNI ALERTS 

DOH(NI) ALERTS 

Pharmacy team(s) can keep updated via CPNI’s Contractor Calendar or Contractor Emails.

Or report medicine shortages, pricing and staffing issues via the CPNI’s Medicine Shortage Reporter or Situation Reporter.

Please bring this to the attention of your pharmacy team(s).

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF 
DR. GARETH C. GILVARY
Governance & Support Pharmacist

Dear Contractor,

You will have received the following letter from Mr Joe Brogan earlier today.

You will be aware that CPNI met with the Permanent Secretary on 24 November 2022 as a result of representations made in relation to current service and funding difficulties and following the announcement of the Emergency Review of Community Pharmacy Services on 18 November 2022.
Discussions and meetings have taken place this week, with further meetings scheduled with SPPG/DoH officials on 6 December 2022 and the Permanent Secretary DoH(NI) on 14 December 2022.

A number of aspects have been included in the letter from Mr Brogan and while Mr Brogan is entitled to write to community pharmacies at any stage you will appreciate that we see things differently and have made this clear in our engagement with Mr Brogan and Department colleagues to date, and we will continue to do so in our ongoing discussions.

We note that the letter states:

  • SPPG ‘encourages and supports community pharmacies to consider reducing the provision of service that has not been directed by the Department as part of our agreed contract framework’.
  • The ‘rota could be adjusted in some geographies and that SPPG will be in contact in due course area by area to confirm opening arrangements’, and that in relation to  Belfast On-Call that ‘an alternative approach has been proposed to CPNI’. These changes are subject to various legislative process being followed, with timeline.
  • ‘One of the aims of the Commissioning Plan was to fully specify and commission medicines adherence services and work has been on-going to establish this’.

CPNI remains committed to resolving current matters so that you and your teams can provide safe and effective community pharmacy services that meet patient and health service need. We are also committed to ensuring that contractors receive fair and reasonable funding from the Department for the community pharmacy services they provide.

Another aspect raised in the letter is the requirement for individual registrants to assure themselves that a decision not to provide service could lead to a potential breach in the professional Code. As you know, pharmacists are required to make professional judgements about patients in the course of service provision and we know that pharmacists will be mindful of this.

Safe service provision is always paramount. We are reassured to see that Mr Brogan encourages contractors not to provide non-commissioned services and therefore reducing the provision of services that have not been directed by the Department may help you and your pharmacists adhere to your professional obligations.

CPNI will continue to keep you updated on these important matters.

Please do not hesitate to contact the CPNI office or any CPNI Director should you require further information.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF 
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive