Archives: Contractor Email

Dear Contractor

Please see attached correspondence from Aidan Dawson, Chief Executive, Public Health Agency (PHA).

SUMMARY

• Moderna have advised the PHA that they no longer endorse an extension to post-thaw expiry date of Spikevax® vaccines from 30 to 60 days.
• Therefore, the PHA have advised community pharmacies with remaining stock of Spikevax® vaccines to use stock with the 30-day post-thaw expiry date annotated on the vial by Movianto and continue to store the vaccine between 2-8°C.
• The PHA have also noted that expired stock should be segregated within a separate area of the refrigerator.

ACTION

As per the PHA correspondence, contractors are advised to:

• Check Spikevax® stock and ensure all vaccines are used within the 30-day post-thaw expiry date (annotated on the vial by Movianto).
• Contact pha.immunisation@hscni.net should you have any queries in relation to this update.
• Contact the CPNI office if you have any further queries.

Kind regards

Dear Contractor

As you will be aware, the Department of Health and Social Care has issued a Consultation on Hub and Spoke Dispensing and will be accepting responses until 11.45pm on 8 June 2022 via an online survey.   CPNI colleagues have agreed a response with the CPNI Board which is attached HERE.

SUMMARY

This consultation seeks views on proposals to enable all community pharmacies to access ‘hub and spoke’ dispensing. Currently this is only possible when the hub pharmacy forms part of the same retail business as the spoke pharmacy. The key proposals included in the consultation include two possible new hub and spoke models, access to hub dispensing by dispensing doctors, and a change in the legal terminology. In summary:

• Model one allows hub and spoke dispensing to operate between pharmacies owned by separate legal entities and the spoke supplies to patients.
• Model two allows arrangements where the hub pharmacy supplies medicines directly to patients as opposed to returning them to the spoke for onward supply to the patient.
• It is proposed that Dispensing Doctors will be allowed to use the services of a hub but cannot themselves operate as a hub.
• There are also proposed amendments to the language in the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 which will clarify that medicines can be supplied “at or from” a registered pharmacy premises, as opposed to the previous wording which referred to supplies “at” the pharmacy.  This aims to enable hub and supply dispensing and aims to ensure the legislation better reflects current pharmacy practices such as medicines delivery.
• It is proposed that there will be no restriction on the number of spokes which a hub may serve, and equally no restriction on how many hubs a spoke may wish to use.
• A requirement for the hub and spoke to have arrangements in place to address accountability is proposed as are specific requirements in terms of notices displayed in the spoke pharmacy and information included on the medicine labels and packaging.
• The proposals also include a requirement that all hubs and spokes must be registered pharmacies but that the hub will not necessarily need to hold an HS contract. The consultation suggests that there will be further engagement on those requirements with the PSNC. Arrangements in Northern Ireland are not discussed.
• Proposed amendments to the legislation so that the supply of medicines from hub to spoke will be considered a retail transaction and as such will not require a wholesaling licence are also included.

KEY ASPECTS OF THE CPNI RESPONSE

• The main thrust of the response is to accept model one with caveats regarding consideration for the unique NI factors.
• Model two is strongly opposed throughout.
• The lack of a Northern Ireland impact assessment is emphasised as totally inappropriate and inequitable, and calls are made for this to be conducted and consulted on prior to further progression of any aspects of the proposals.

ACTION

Contractors are asked to:

• Note the consultation (closing date of 11.45pm on 8 June 2022), and the attached CPNI response; and
• Respond directly to the consultation HERE utilising any or all of the CPNI response as required.

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

Kind regards

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

BSO ALERTS

• Weekly Drug Alerts are available here.
  • Medicines Defect Information – Loprazolam 1mg tabs 26 May 2022
• Weekly Shortages Information is available here.
  • Colestipol (Colestid® ) orange and plain 5g granules sachets 26 May 2022
  • Methylphenidate (Xaggitin® XL) 18mg, 27mg, 36mg and 54mg prolonged-release tablets 26 May 2022
• Serious Shortage Protocols are available here.

CPNI ALERTS

• Preliminary Notice CPNI AGM 1 June 2022
• COVID-19 Vaccination Service Update – Extensions to Expiry Dates 1 June 2022
• COVID-19 Spring Booster Vaccination Programme – Care Home Update 31 May 2022
• Final Concessionary Prices 31 May 2022

DOH(NI) ALERTS

• Class 4 Medicines Notification – Napp Pharmaceuticals Limited – OxyContin 20 Mg Prolonged Release Tablets – PL 16950 0098 1 June 2022
• COVID-19 Therapeutic Alert – Antivirals or Neutralising Monoclonal Antibodies (nMABs) for Non Hospitalised Patients with C19 1 June 2022
• COVID-19 Therapeutic Alert – Antivirals & Neutralising Monoclonal Antibodies (nMABs) in the Treatment of Hospital Onset C19 1 June 2022
• Class 4 Medicines Notification – DEMO SA Pharmaceutical Industry – Esomeprazole 40mg Powder 31 May 2022
• Community Pharmacy Vaccination Service Update 31 May 2022
• Vaccination of Care Home Residents 31 May 2022
• Letter from the CMO & CPO – Responsibility for Prescribing between Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Care Services for the Supply of Medicines and Other Pharmaceutical Products 30 May 2022
• Dept. of Health Guidance – Responsibility for Prescribing between Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Care Services for the Supply of Medicines and Other Pharmaceutical Products 30 May 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

Dear Colleague

PRELIMINARY NOTICE is hereby given that the Second Annual General Meeting of the Members of the Company will be held at 8.00pm at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Shaw’s Bridge, 117 Milltown Road Belfast BT8 7XP, on Thursday 23rd June 2022 for the purpose of considering the following business:

1.    Notice of meeting.

2.    Apologies for absence.

3.    Directors’ Report on Company Activity in 2021.

4.    Chairman’s Report.

5.    Notice of Special Motion

Members will be asked to consider the Notice of Special Motion available HERE at the AGM that proposes changes to the constitution of the Board of CPNI, following the completion of the 3-year period of membership of CPNI Board by the UCA-nominated Directors.

6.    Report on the Summary Income Statement and Balance Sheet for the year ended 31 October 2020.

7.    Appointment of Auditors.

8.    Appointment of Solicitors.

9.    Closing remarks by the Chairman.

AGM papers will be sent out by post w/c 13th June 2022.

Any member wishing to submit a Notice of Motion should complete the Notice of Motion pro-form HERE and ensure it is returned to CPNI offices no later than Friday 10th June 2022.

By order of the Board

Dear Contractor

The Community Vaccination Service Update was issued on 31 May 2022 and is available on the hscni primary care portal. A PDF copy of the update is available for your convenience here.

The Governance section of the update includes important updated information on the extensions to manufacturer expiry dates and post-thaw expiry dates for applicable batches of Moderna Spikevax® vaccines, and includes a letter issued by PHA to GPs with a worked example.

Summary:

• Update M3 issued on 1st February 2022 outlines the extension of the post-thaw expiry date for specific batches of Moderna Spikevax.
• A letter issued by PHA to GPs on 16th May 2022 and included in the community pharmacy vaccination service update issued on 31st May 2022 outlines the extension of the manufacturer’s expiry date for specific batches of Moderna Spikevax.

Action:

• Review the attached correspondence and discuss with your pharmacy teams.
• Identify any stocks of Moderna Spikevax vaccine which require revision of the manufacturer’s expiry and annotate the vial and packaging accordingly.
• Identify any stocks of Moderna Spikevax vaccine which require revision of the post-thaw expiry (on the label affixed by Movianto) and annotate the label accordingly.
• Review the worked examples in the PHA letter for guidance on the steps to follow when determining the revised expiry date of current stocks.

Should you have any queries please do not hesitate to speak to a member of the team.

Kind regards

Dear Contractor

Please find attached correspondence HERE from Aidan Dawson, CEO of the Public Health Agency.  The correspondence provides an update on the COVID-19 Spring Booster Vaccination Programme for Care Home Residents.

Summary:

• The contribution of pharmacies involved in delivering the COVID-19 spring booster vaccination programme to care home residents  is acknowledged.
• Thanks are extended for the role played by pharmacy in ensuring over 10,000 residents have been vaccinated so far.
• The original end date for the programme was 31 May 2022 but has now been extended to 15 June 2022 to allow further time for pharmacies, if they wish, to continue to vaccinate eligible care home residents, where appropriate.
• Those pharmacies involved in the Spring Booster Care Home Vaccination programme are asked to support this final opportunity to ensure that this vulnerable group are vaccinated in this time.

Action:

• Review the attached correspondence and discuss with your pharmacy teams.
• If you wish to proceed to vaccinate care home residents into June, please make the necessary arrangements with the home.
• If you are unable to extend the programme, please advise the care home accordingly so that Trust teams can implement plans to offer vaccinations to residents who previously missed your clinics.

The Community Vaccination Service Update also issued on 31 May 2022 and is available here.

Should you have any queries please do not hesitate to speak to a member of the team.

Kind regards