Archives: Contractor Email

Dear Colleague
Please find correspondence HERE from SPPG Pharmacy and Medicines Management.

SUMMARY

  • From the 23 April 2022 the service specification and eligibility for this service are changing.
  • To view the updated specification for this service, please see HERE.
  • The purpose of the updated Pharmacy Collect NI service is to provide access to LFD test kits at community pharmacies for specified groups as directed by the Department of Health NI available at HERE.

ACTION

  • Contractors are asked to review the correspondence.
  • Contractors are asked to update relevant SOPs in light of these changes and make staff aware.
  • If you have any queries in relation to the changes please contact your local Integrated Care Office.
  • Please do not hesitate to contact the CPNI office should you require any further information.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive
Dear Colleague
Please find correspondence HERE from Kathryn Turner, Pharmacy Lead HSCB.

SUMMARY

  • It is recommended that the Spring Booster in all Care Homes in Northern Ireland, should be completed no later than the end of May 2022 to avoid having a knock on impact on the timing of a possible autumn vaccination programme.
  • To provide a dashboard to review the weekly vaccination activity and to monitor that all care homes are paired with a community pharmacy to offer vaccinations to their residents, an electronic form has been developed to collate data on CPVS clinics that are planned to take place in Care Homes and can be found at HERE.
  • The SSPG pharmacy team will also be reviewing separate data from RQIA to capture vaccinations figures from care homes on a weekly basis.

ACTION

  • Contractors are asked to review the correspondence.
  • Contractors are asked to complete the submission form each Wednesday.
    • All care home vaccinations must be recorded on VMS in the usual manner.
    • Payment for the vaccination service continues to be based on the VMS data entries
  • If you have any queries please contact Deirdre McAree at deirdre.mcaree@hscni.net.
  • Please do not hesitate to contact the CPNI office should you require any further information.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive
Dear Colleague
Please find correspondence HERE from Margaret O’Brien, AD and Head of General Medical Services, Kathryn Turner, Pharmacy Lead, Strategic Planning and Performance Group and Rodney Morton, Director Nursing and AHP, Public Health Agency.

SUMMARY

  • Care homes residents are vulnerable to COVID-19. For the COVID-19 Spring booster, participating community pharmacies will offer COVID-19 booster vaccination to care home residents during April and May 2022.
  • The attached correspondence gives guidance to community pharmacy teams, GPs and Care Home Managers on a range of issues including:
    • Best interest decisions
    • Existing information to help a community pharmacist to make a best interest decision in a care home environment
    • Information from GPs for new residents or other situations
    • Role of the Care Home Managers for the Spring Booster Programme

ACTION

  • Contractors and community pharmacists providing this service to care homes are asked to review the correspondence.
  • Community pharmacists will forward a Pharmacy Proforma to care home managers in advance of the planned vaccination date. This must be completed by the care home and returned to Community Pharmacists prior to the date of clinics
  • If contractors or community pharmacists have any queries about this service, please contact your local SPPG Integrated Care Office.
  • Please do not hesitate to contact the CPNI office should you require any further information.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive
Dear Colleague
Please find correspondence HERE from Kathryn Turner, Pharmacy Lead, Strategic Planning and Performance Group.

SUMMARY

  • The Community Pharmacy Emergency Supply during a Pandemic Service commenced on Monday 6 April 2020 in order to ensure continuity of supply of essential repeat medicines to patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The purpose of this letter is to confirm that the pandemic service can continue to be provided in its current format whilst formalised funding arrangements are being finalised for the 2022/23 year.
  • To inform the development of the routine emergency supply service a community pharmacy survey, capturing data on all patients who requested an emergency supply was undertaken. A summary of the survey’s findings can be viewed HERE.
  • Feedback from other key stakeholders will also be sought to inform the development of the updated emergency supply service.

ACTION

  • Contractors are asked to review the correspondence.
  • If contractors have any queries about the service, please contact your local SPPG Integrated Care Office.
  • Please do not hesitate to contact the CPNI office should 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 ALERTS 

DoH(NI) ALERTS 

Transition of the Operation Control of the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme to the PHA 5 April 2022

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

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF 
DR. GARETH C. GILVARY
Governance & Support Pharmacist
Dear Colleague
Please find correspondence HERE from Kathryn Turner, Pharmacy Lead, Strategic Planning and Performance Group.
SUMMARY
“Know Check Ask” is the first campaign of the Living Well schedule 2022/2023 and was due to commence yesterday, 4 April 2022, has been DELAYED. It is hoped that community pharmacies are able to start the campaign and the new schedule as soon as possible. Evaluations for the last campaign, “Making Healthier Choices”, can now be submitted. This survey is available from 4 April 2022 and should be completed by 2 May 2022. It can be accessed at HERE.It is vital that all pharmacies contracted to provide “Living Well” submit their evaluation survey after each campaign as it allows data to be collated to demonstrate the value and impact of the service to other sectors. Compliance will be monitored with the service requirements, in particular evaluation submission. Where failure has been identified to comply, such as failure to submit evaluation data, the right to recover all, or part of, this funding via an adjustment to the pharmacy’s BSO payment account is reserved.
ACTION
Contractors are asked to review the correspondence. Submit evaluations for the last campaign, “Making Healthier Choices” by 2 May 2022. It can be accessed at HERE. Please do not hesitate to contact the CPNI office should you require any further information.

Kind regards