Archives: Contractor Email

Dear Contractor

I write to confirm that a contractor meeting will take place on Thursday 23 March 2023 at 8pm at the Crowne Plaza, Belfast,117 Milltown Rd, Belfast BT8 7XP

This will be an ‘in-person’ meeting and an important update will be provided on community pharmacy funding for 2023/24 including adherence services.

I would encourage you all to attend this meeting and ask that you RSVP by 5pm on Tuesday 21 March 2023 by completing this link HERE.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF 
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive
Dear Colleague
As you may be aware, SPPG issued correspondence on 23 January 2023 to those pharmacies providing the Regional Stop Smoking Service.

SUMMARY

  • The rolling forward of the “Stop Smoking” service contract due to be returned to the PHA on 30 January 2023. 
  • All providers that have purchased, or in the process of purchasing a carbon monoxide monitor via the PHA Reimbursement Scheme, goods need to be receipted no later than 31 March 2023. PHA will require a pharmacy reimbursement invoice in addition to the supplier invoice.

ACTION

Contractors are asked to note:

  • The contents of the letter and bring it to the attention of relevant staff
  • Submit a pharmacy reimbursement invoice in addition to the supplier invoice to PHA for a carbon monoxide monitor purchased via the PHA Reimbursement Scheme, goods need to be receipted no later than 31 March 2023. 

For queries in relation to the service please contact your PHA local Tobacco coordinator. Queries may also be directed to a member of the CPNI team.

Kind regards 

SENT ON BEHALF OF
Gerard Greene
Chief Executive
Dear Colleague
The first update of concessionary prices were granted today for March 2023:
DrugPack SizeConcessionary Price
Amisulpride 100mg tablets60£20.29
Amisulpride 200mg tablets60£33.92
Amisulpride 50mg tablets60£13.09
Amoxicillin 125mg/5ml oral suspension100£4.32
Amoxicillin 125mg/5ml oral suspension sugar free100£3.80
Amoxicillin 250mg/5ml oral suspension100£4.34
Amoxicillin 250mg/5ml oral suspension sugar free100£3.50
Amoxicillin 500mg capsules15£2.51
Amoxicillin 500mg capsules21£3.51
Aripiprazole 15mg tablets28£12.36
Aripiprazole 5mg tablets28£14.98
Atenolol 25mg tablets28£1.31
Baclofen 5mg/5ml oral solution sugar free300£5.99
Bimatoprost 100micrograms/ml eye drops3£4.04
Bisacodyl 5mg gastro-resistant tablets60£4.83
Brimonidine 0.2% eye drops5£4.42
Brinzolamide 10mg/ml eye drops5£5.06
Carbocisteine 250mg/5ml oral solution300£7.08
Carbocisteine 375mg capsules120£8.24
Carvedilol 6.25mg tablets28£1.45
Chloramphenicol 1% eye ointment4£5.20
Chlorpromazine 100mg tablets28£26.54
Chlorpromazine 25mg tablets28£25.43
Chlorpromazine 50mg tablets28£26.79
Cinacalcet 30mg tablets28£11.95
Citalopram 40mg/ml oral drops sugar free15£9.38
Clarithromycin 500mg tablets14£10.20
Clonidine 25microgram tablets112£20.78
Clotrimazole 1% cream50£3.47
Clotrimazole 500mg pessaries1£10.35
Co-amoxiclav 500mg/125mg tablets21£6.95
Co-careldopa 25mg/100mg tablets100£7.60
Co-trimoxazole 80mg/400mg tablets28£2.73
Desogestrel 75microgram tablets84£3.39
Digoxin 125microgram tablets28£3.78
Digoxin 250microgram tablets28£3.02
Digoxin 62.5microgram tablets28£3.81
Dosulepin 25mg capsules28£5.08
Duloxetine 30mg gastro-resistant capsules28£2.69
Enalapril 2.5mg tablets28£7.19
Ezetimibe 10mg tablets28£1.63
Finasteride 5mg tablets28£4.01
Flucloxacillin 125mg/5ml oral solution100£2.98
Flucloxacillin 250mg/5ml oral solution100£3.98
Flucloxacillin 500mg capsules28£3.59
Fluoxetine 20mg/5ml oral solution70£15.50
Frovatriptan 2.5mg tablets6£15.05
Gabapentin 600mg tablets100£32.00
Hydroxocobalamin 1mg/1ml solution for
injection ampoules		5£13.19
Isotretinoin 20mg capsules30£12.50
Lamotrigine 100mg tablets56£2.50
Lamotrigine 50mg tablets56£2.76
Latanoprost 50micrograms/ml eye drops2.5£2.64
Levetiracetam 100mg/ml oral solution sugar free300£11.49
Levetiracetam 1g tablets60£6.28
Mebeverine 135mg tablets100£7.55
Methocarbamol 750mg tablets100£10.66
Mycophenolate mofetil 500mg tablets50£8.42
Naftidrofuryl 100mg capsules84£10.89
Naproxen 250mg gastro-resistant tablets56£2.50
Naproxen 500mg gastro-resistant tablets56£4.90
Naproxen 500mg tablets28£1.77
Nebivolol 2.5mg tablets28£16.18
Nebivolol 5mg tablets28£1.73
Omeprazole 20mg gastro-resistant capsules28£2.50
Oxycodone 5mg/5ml oral solution sugar free250£9.50
Paracetamol 500mg soluble tablets24£3.49
Paracetamol 500mg soluble tablets100£14.54
Phenoxymethylpenicillin 250mg tablets28£3.20
Prednisolone 5mg soluble tablets30£57.50
Pregabalin 150mg capsules56£2.68
Pregabalin 25mg capsules56£1.93
Pregabalin 300mg capsules56£3.50
Pregabalin 50mg capsules84£2.64
Pregabalin 75mg capsules56£2.33
Promethazine hydrochloride 25mg tablets56£32.59
Quetiapine 25mg tablets60£1.61
Quetiapine 300mg tablets60£4.08
Quinine sulfate 200mg tablets28£4.50
Rasagiline 1mg tablets28£3.99
Risedronate sodium 35mg tablets4£2.84
Telmisartan 20mg tablets28£5.02
Telmisartan 40mg tablets28£3.40
Telmisartan 80mg tablets28£3.48
Terbinafine 1% cream15£3.02
Terbinafine 1% cream30£3.50
Topiramate 25mg tablets60£9.25
Topiramate 50mg tablets60£16.81
Trospium chloride 20mg tablets60£12.09
Valsartan 160mg capsules28£8.08
Valsartan 40mg capsules28£6.65
Venlafaxine 37.5mg tablets56£3.99
Venlafaxine 75mg tablets56£11.13
Zolmitriptan 2.5mg tablets12£27.50
Zolmitriptan 2.5mg tablets6£13.75
Zopiclone 3.75mg tablets28£1.99
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

SENT ON BEHALF OF
GERARD GREENE

Chief Executive

Dear Colleague

Following advice issued by MHRA yesterday, Northern Ireland’s Chief Medical and Chief Pharmaceutical officers issued correspondence to healthcare professionals.  Their letter outlines the updated safety information on Pholcodine-containing medicines and notifies health professionals that a Class 2 Medicines Recall is now in place for relevant Pholcodine-containing medicines.  Class 2 Medicine Recall notices must be actioned within 48 hours.

SUMMARY

  • Pholcodine-containing cough and cold medicines are being withdrawn from the UK market as a precaution following a review which found that their benefits do not outweigh the increased risk of the very rare event of anaphylaxis to neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) used in general anaesthesia.
  • Do not dispense or sell pholcodine-containing medicines – consider recommending appropriate treatment alternatives for patients who present with a new dry cough or who are currently taking pholcodine.
  • Pharmacies should follow the Class 2 Medicines Recall Notice to quarantine stock of pholcodine-containing medicines and return it to the manufacturer.
  • Patients should be advised as follows:
    • Pholcodine-containing cough and cold medicines are being withdrawn from sale as a precaution and will no longer be available from pharmacies.
    • If you are taking a cough medicine (including tablets and syrups), check the packaging, label or Patient Information Leaflet to see if pholcodine is a listed ingredient – if it is, and you have any questions, you can talk to your pharmacist who can suggest a different medicine suitable for you.
    • There is evidence that using pholcodine-containing medicines leads to an increased risk of the very rare event of an allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) in patients who receive general anaesthesia involving neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) during surgery.
    • Tell your anaesthetist before you have surgery if you have taken pholcodine, particularly in the past 12 months, or think you may have taken a pholcodine-containing product.

ACTION

Contractors are asked to:

  • Read the MHRA and DoH Safety Information on Pholcodine-containing products and make pharmacy staff aware. 
  • Action the Class 2 Medicine Recall in your pharmacy ASAP.
  • Advise pharmacy teams that Class 2 Medicine Recalls must be actioned within 48 hours.

Please feel free to contact a member of the CPNI team should you have any questions.

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.

CPNI ALERTS

DOH(NI) ALERTS

BSO ALERTS

Pharmacy team(s) can keep updated via CPNI’s Contractor Calendar and Contractor Emails.
Or report medicine shortages, pricing and staffing issues via the CPNI’s Medicine Shortage Reporter and 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
Please see attached correspondence from the Strategic Planning and Performance Group outlining the COVID-19 Community Pharmacy Vaccination Service (CPVS).

SUMMARY

  • Community pharmacies are being asked to vaccinate all care home residents, those aged 75 and above and those who are immunosuppressed.
  • SPPG is currently working to prepare the contract, service specification and associated documentation which will be issued shortly.  A revised fee structure for the spring vaccination programme has been agreed with CPNI.
  • All residents in care homes will be offered a COVID-19 booster as part of the spring 2023 programme. Community pharmacies are being asked to prepare to deliver a spring 2023 COVID-19 vaccination booster programme for residents.
  • Each CPVS provider should confirm the pairing with the care home manager or lead.
  • Participating pharmacy contractors are asked to plan to fully complete the vaccination requirements for care homes, including arrangements to vaccinate any residents missed in the main clinics.

ACTION

CPNI will provide you with further updates on the Spring COVID-19 Vaccinations Booster Programme.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive