Archives: Contractor Email

Dear Colleague

The first update of concessionary prices were granted today for November 2022:

Drug	Pack Size	Concessionary Price
Amoxicillin 250mg/5ml oral suspension	100	£2.69
Amoxicillin 250mg/5ml oral suspension sugar free	100	£2.69
Benzydamine 0.15% mouthwash sugar free	300	£4.65
Bisacodyl 5mg gastro-resistant tablets	60	£4.99
Bisoprolol 2.5mg tablets	28	£1.15
Chlorpromazine 25mg tablets	28	£28.50
Citalopram 20mg tablets	28	£1.96
Cyclizine 50mg/1ml solution for injection ampoules	5	£10.81
Duloxetine 60mg gastro-resistant capsules	28	£4.11
Escitalopram 5mg tablets	28	£1.15
Ezetimibe 10mg tablets	28	£1.99
Flucloxacillin 125mg/5ml oral solution	100	£1.89
Fluoxetine 10mg capsules	30	£24.95
Fluoxetine 20mg/5ml oral solution	70	£12.95
Gabapentin 100mg capsules	100	£3.30
Hydralazine 25mg tablets	56	£4.57
Lacidipine 2mg tablets	28	£3.05
Lamotrigine 25mg dispersible tablets sugar free	56	£23.53
Mometasone 0.1% ointment	30	£4.17
Mycophenolate mofetil 500mg tablets	50	£8.50
Naproxen 250mg gastro-resistant tablets	56	£2.70
Nebivolol 5mg tablets	28	£1.37
Paracetamol 500mg soluble tablets	24	£3.48
Paracetamol 500mg soluble tablets	100	£14.50
Rasagiline 1mg tablets	28	£5.05
Telmisartan 80mg tablets	28	£2.86
Temazepam 10mg tablets	28	£28.57
Valsartan 40mg capsules	28	£4.68
Valsartan 80mg capsules	28	£8.90

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

As discussed at Tuesday’s night’s contractor meeting, the frequency of abusive behaviour directed at community pharmacy teams specifically relating to medicine shortages has increased and to capture this rise in abuse, contractors are encouraged to complete this short survey HERE.

 Please complete by 12 noon on Monday, 21 November 2022. 

CPNI would ask community pharmacy teams in addition to notifying CPNI, to liaise with local PSNI teams and with their crime prevention officers, and to report all instances of abuse, aggression, or attacks to the Department of Health. 

Kind regards

Dear Contractor,

You will be aware from recent correspondence and meetings, as well as from your own experience, that community pharmacy is in a critical position, in terms of funding, workforce and workload.

At Tuesday evening’s contractor meeting there was a clear decision taken by those present to proceed with a number of actions aimed at maintaining the safe provision of pharmacy services to patients.

The actions that will be taken forward by the network, with immediate effect, are as follows: 

1. Adherence
   1. Reaffirmation that contractors will not take on new adherence/compliance (Cohort 2) patients until such times that a commissioned service is agreed and implemented for all patients in Cohort 2. 
   2. From 1 December 2022 contractors will only be able to provide adherence/compliance services to patients who are being discharged from hospital following completion and receipt of an ARF, irrespective of whether the patient previously had received compliance support from their community pharmacy and irrespective of the duration of hospital stay.
2. Rota services will be withdrawn from 25 December 2022.
3. Belfast on-call service will be withdrawn from 23 December 2022.
4. Community pharmacy will no longer undertake blood pressure monitoring on behalf of any other healthcare provider as this is not a commissioned service.
5. Community pharmacy will be unable to provide information to Trust staff relating to admission or discharge of patients in the absence of a formal process – community pharmacy usually receives a phone call that is unplanned and is then expected to provide considerable confidential information over the phone at admission, or to facilitate the supply of prescription medicines to the patient at discharge often before the prescription is issued to the pharmacy – both of these present information governance, patient safety and professional risks.
6. Contractors may wish to write to the Department of Health or SPPG expressing their concerns – some additional information is provided relating to this in Appendix 1.
7. Contractors may wish to submit an application to reduce their contracted hours to help manage workforce challenges.

As you can see a series of actions have been agreed, in recognition that there is not one single issue causing the difficulties that community pharmacy is facing. It is a result of the underlying funding being insufficient and until that is addressed we will continue to face the same difficulties. This is a starting point. There have been strong feelings expressed by contractors and CPNI acknowledges that further action may be required. This will be kept under constant review and we will keep contractors updated.

CPNI has advised SPPG of the actions being taken forward. CPNI has also advised SPPG that the Pharmacy First for Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) Service cannot be rolled out at this time and also that the addition of Winter Pressures to Pharmacy First over the coming months cannot proceed. Those pharmacies involved in the UTI pilot may continue.

In relation to Rota and Belfast on-call services pharmacies should notify SPPG that they are withdrawing from these services from the dates stated above in order to maintain the safety of patients and the health and well-being of pharmacy teams.

We have also included some guidance for pharmacy teams in Appendix 2 which may help when you are briefing them on the current position and also in how they respond to any queries from other healthcare professionals or the public. Please ensure your pharmacy teams are aware of these actions. Further information and guidance will be developed and made available to you to support your teams as issues arise.

Should any contractor require further information at this time please do not hesitate to contact the CPNI office or your local CPNI Director. 

Kind regards

Dear Contractor

As discussed at last night’s contractor meeting, the frequency of abusive behaviour directed at community pharmacy teams specifically relating to medicine shortages has increased and to capture this rise in abuse, contractors are encouraged to complete this short survey HERE.

Please complete by 12 noon on Monday, 21 November 2022.

CPNI would ask community pharmacy teams in addition to notifying CPNI, to liaise with local PSNI teams and with their crime prevention officers, and to report all instances of abuse, aggression, or attacks to the Department of Health.

Kind regards

Dear Contractor

For Contractors who have commitments that prevent them attending this evening’s important Contractor Meeting in-person, the Zoom Link can be used to join the meeting remotely.

Join meeting remotely HERE.

Meeting ID: 825 6096 6347
Passcode: 590166

We look forward to seeing as many of you in-person later this evening at 8pm at the Crowne Plaza, Belfast,117 Milltown Rd, Belfast BT8 7XP.

If you have any further queries, please contact ggilvary@communitypharmacyni.co.uk.

Kind regards

Dear Contractor

Further to the Contractor Update issued on 11 November 2022, I write to confirm that a contractor meeting will take place tonight at 8pm Tuesday 15 November 2022 at the Crowne Plaza, Belfast,117 Milltown Rd, Belfast BT8 7XP.

If you cannot attend in person or have any further queries, please contact ggilvary@communitypharmacyni.co.uk. I look forward to seeing you this evening.

Kind regards