Archives: Contractor Email

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

BSO ALERTS 

CPNI ALERTS 

HSCB ALERTS 

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

Kind regards

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

Dear Colleague

Please find correspondence HERE from Prof. Sir. Michael McBride, Chief Medical Officer, and Cathy Harrison, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer.

SUMMARY

  • Over 320,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered through community pharmacies, including over 140,000 boosters, and the hard work and dedication of community pharmacy vaccination teams in delivering this programme in the heart of local communities across Northern Ireland has without doubt helped to save many lives.
  • You will also be aware of the continued incidence of occasional anti-vaccine campaigning across the region. We are aware that a number of community pharmacies have been approached in recent days by individuals distributing anti-vax materials and misinformation, and in some cases threatening legal action.
  • While the majority of protests are peaceful, they can often be noisy, disruptive and provocative, and a small number can become hostile. A particularly sinister ploy in some cases has been the video recording of the issue of what are falsely purported be legal documents, with the video then posted on social media.
  • Even though the likelihood of pharmacy teams receiving threats, abuse, intimidation or violence remains low, the following guidance provides information on reporting systems, personal and premises safety measures and health and wellbeing support available that individuals and vaccination providers should carefully consider.

ACTION

  • Contractors are asked to review the correspondence.
  • Community pharmacy sites that experience anti-vaccine behaviour are asked to complete and submit a SITREP to the PHA. The purpose of this is to stream line the reporting of anti- vaccine incidents and to assist in the completion of the Common Recognised Information Picture (CRIP) for Northern Ireland.
  • Community pharmacy teams are advised to keep engagement with individual(s) involved in distribution of anti-vaccine materials or misinformation to an absolute minimum. Should there be any abuse directed at staff or if there is a safety risk to staff or other members of the public in the pharmacy the police should be contacted immediately.
  • Contractors are advised should review existing security protocols, including location of panic alarms and escape / safe zones or routes, and should consider the potential risk posed by anti-vaccine protests or other activities.
  • Pharmacy teams are reminded that the Pharmacy Forum NI offers a range of support mechanisms available, including a 24/7 helpline, structured counselling, financial and legal guidance. Further information is available on the Pharmacy Forum NI website.
  • Please do not hesitate to contact your local Local Integrated Care Offices or 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 Joe Brogan, Assistant Director of Integrated Care, Head of Pharmacy and Medicines Management.

SUMMARY

  • The HSCB is in the process of securing funding in relation to training of community pharmacy support staff.
  • It is anticipated that grant funding would be made available to pharmacies at the following levels (maximum of one grant per pharmacy):
    • Pharmacy Technician NVQ Level 3.
      • Funding of £5,000 will be payable in respect of each permanent employee that enrols on this course.
    • Pharmacy Assistant – NVQ Level 2
      • Funding of £2,500 will be payable in respect of each permanent employee that enrols on this course.
  • In order to assess the interest in this scheme, HSCB needs to receive an expression of interest from pharmacies by 11 February 2022. Expressions of interest that are received after this date will not be considered for this round of funding. 

ACTION

  • Contractors are asked to review the correspondence.
  • Complete the expression of interest HERE, by 11 February 2022, to be considered for this round of funding.
  • Please do not hesitate to contact your local Local Integrated Care Offices or the CPNI office should you require any further information.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive

Dear Colleague

With community pharmacy being recognised as the main provider of COVID-19 vaccinations, CPNI are looking at the public messaging linked to the service. To help dispel some of myths circulating relating to when and why you should receive your booster vaccine, we have produced social media cards HERE and HERE.

To reach as wide an audience as possible, we would invite all contractors to share the social media cards the week of 7-14 February 2022, adding in messages specific to their own vaccine clinics. 

To support contractors, we have drafted a social media guide for Twitter.

You will find some example tweets on booster vaccines below, which can be adapted to suit individual pharmacies.

  1. Haven’t had your COVID vaccine yet? There’s still time! Vaccines help reduce your risk of getting seriously ill from COVID-19. Book yours today (Clinic details)
  2. Have you had your booster yet? Booster vaccines are the best protection against COVID-19. Drop into [pharmacy name/clinic time) to get yours.
  3. We are proudly delivering the COVID-19 vaccine programme for nearly a year. Haven’t had yours yet – there’s still time!  Drop into [pharmacy name] and we will help protect you from the virus.
  4. Going on holiday this summer? In some locations a booster is now a requirement for entry! Don’t delay – book in our clinic (pharmacy name/clinic time) to get your vaccine.

This is an opportunity to raise the public profile of community pharmacy and its vital role in bringing the pandemic to an end. Reinforcing the messaging that community pharmacy teams are continuing to roll-out the vaccine service, helping to protect their communities whilst continuing to deliver daily services such as dispensing.

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 

HSCB ALERTS 

Please bring this to the attention of your pharmacy team(s). Pharmacy team(s) can keep updated via CPNI’s Contractor Calendar or the Contractor Emails.

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

Kind regards

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

Dear Colleague

With community pharmacy being recognised as the main provider of COVID-19 vaccinations, CPNI are looking at the public messaging linked to the service. To help dispel some of myths circulating relating to when and why you should receive your booster vaccine, we have produced social media cards HERE and HERE.

To reach as wide an audience as possible, we would invite all contractors to share the social media cards the week of 7-14 February 2022, adding in messages specific to their own vaccine clinics. 

To support contractors, we have drafted a social media guide for Twitter.

You will find some example tweets on booster vaccines below, which can be adapted to suit individual pharmacies.

  1. Haven’t had your COVID vaccine yet? There’s still time! Vaccines help reduce your risk of getting seriously ill from COVID-19. Book yours today (Clinic details)
  2. Have you had your booster yet? Booster vaccines are the best protection against COVID-19. Drop into [pharmacy name/clinic time) to get yours.
  3. We are proudly delivering the COVID-19 vaccine programme for nearly a year. Haven’t had yours yet – there’s still time!  Drop into [pharmacy name] and we will help protect you from the virus.
  4. Going on holiday this summer? In some locations a booster is now a requirement for entry! Don’t delay – book in our clinic (pharmacy name/clinic time) to get your vaccine.

This is an opportunity to raise the public profile of community pharmacy and its vital role in bringing the pandemic to an end. Reinforcing the messaging that community pharmacy teams are continuing to roll-out the vaccine service, helping to protect their communities whilst continuing to deliver daily services such as dispensing.

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