Archives: Contractor Email

Dear Colleague

Please find correspondence HERE from Kathryn Turner, Pharmacy Lead, Health and Social Care Board.

SUMMARY

  • The Health and Social Care Board (HSCB), in collaboration with the Department of Health (DoH) and Community Pharmacy NI (CPNI), are developing a Pharmacy First Service for emergency hormonal contraception (EHC). It is envisaged that the service will commence in early April subject to final financial approval.
  • The purpose of this letter is to outline the service and to invite all community pharmacists to a training event on Monday 21 February 2022 at 7:30pm.
  • The service will ensure that women and young people aged 13 years and over have timely access to sexual health advice and free EHC when clinically indicated.
    • This service aims to increase the knowledge, especially among younger women, of the availability of EHC and bridging hormonal contraception from community pharmacies. 
    • This service also ensures treatment is in line with best practice and NI formulary.
  • A one-off set-up fee of £200 will be available to all pharmacies contracted to provide this service. This will cover preparatory work involved including training and SOP development. The fees payable for service provision are:
    • £25 per EHC consultation
    • £15 per consultation resulting in supply of bridging contraception
    • The cost of medicines supplied will also be reimbursed by the BSO.
  • All of the resources required for the service will be available on the Primary Care Intranet and BSO website before the service starts.
  • Further correspondence will be issued to confirm date of service commencement and provide you with the service contract.

ACTION

  • Contractors are asked to review the correspondence.
  • All pharmacists must undertake training to meet the competency required to provide the service. HSCB will provide training on the service in an ECHO session on Monday 21 February 2022 at 7:30pm.
  • All pharmacists are encouraged to attend the training. As a minimum one pharmacist representative from each pharmacy should attend the live training session and cascade learning to others.
    • The training presentation and slides will be available on the primary care intranet and BSO website for those unable to attend the live zoom session.
    • These must be reviewed prior to offering the service
  • Please do not hesitate to contact if you have any queries please contact Siobhan O’Hare-Smith at siobhan.o’hare-smith@hscni.net or 07887501131 or the CPNI office should you require any further information.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive

Dear Colleague

You will be aware that although wearing a face covering is no longer a legal requirement, it is still strongly recommended that individuals wear face coverings in health and social care settings including community pharmacies, as well as on public transport and other enclosed indoor settings.

Further information on the latest guidance, how members of the public can stay safe and help prevent the spread of COVID-19 is available HERE on the NI Direct website.

HSCB is also encouraging members of the public to continue wearing face masks in healthcare settings and the social media cards below can used on your social media channels / website to promote the continued wearing of face coverings to members of the public in your community pharmacy.

In light of the most recent COVID-19 guidance, available on NI Direct, pharmacy teams may wish review the COVID-19 signage, posters and information displayed in the pharmacy to ensure it reflects the measures they wish to maintain in their setting.

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
The Improvement Hub for Health & Social Care Quality Improvement (HSCQI) would like to invite Integrated Care colleagues (Community Pharmacy, Optometry and Dental Services) to submit applications for the HSCQI Awards 2022.  .

These awards are an opportunity to showcase the work of community pharmacy and we would encourage all contractors to consider applying. In addition to the guidance the HSCQI Hub team have scheduled three 30-minute information session to provide guidance on the application process.  The session will be held on the following times and are open to everyone considering submitting an application:
  • Monday, 21 February 2022 at 10.00-10.30am
  • Wednesday, 23 February 2022 at 1.00- 1.30pm
  • Wednesday, 23 February 2022 at 3.00 – 3.30pm

Zoom link for all sessions can be found HERE
Meeting ID: 847 2720 9592

Closing date for applications is the Friday, 15 April 2022.

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
The first update of concessionary prices were granted for February 2022:
DrugPack SizeConcessionary Price
Clomipramine 50mg capsules28£7.90
Co-dydramol 10mg/500mg tablets30£2.06
Co-dydramol 10mg/500mg tablets100£6.87
Promazine 25mg/5ml oral solution150£60.19
Sulfasalazine 250mg/5ml oral suspension sugar free500£94.22
Tamoxifen 10mg/5ml oral solution sugar free150£74.52
Trimethoprim 50mg/5ml oral suspension sugar free100£9.15

Concessionary prices will be paid against the usual code, no additional endorsements are needed.

Concessionary prices may be granted up until the end of the month so CPNI will notify you of any further concessionary prices as and when they are agreed.

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 Colleague

The Health and Social Care Board (HSCB) has issued proposals for the Community Pharmacy pay offer (Global Sum) for the 2022-2023 financial year.

The HSCB has written to Community Pharmacy Northern Ireland (CPNI) and Community Pharmacy Contractors in respect of these proposals to seek its views as part of a consultation process scheduled to run until 5pm on 18 February 2022.

A copy of the letter to CPNI can be found HERE and the draft equality screening document was issued to all Community Pharmacy contractors can also be found HERE.


Please find the CPNI Draft Response to the Community Pharmacy Remuneration Consultation 2022/ 2023 that will be submitted before 5pm on 18 February 2022.

ACTIONS 

  • Please read and consider the CPNI Draft Response to this important HSCB Global Sum consultation.
  • CPNI recommends that you submit a response to the consultation on or before 5pm 18 February 2022, using the CPNI response to help inform the response you submit.
  • Contractor responses to the Global Sum Consultation should be sent to:

Mr Tom Coyle
Community Pharmacy Services Programme Manager
Directorate of Integrated Care
Health and Social Care Board
Gransha Park House
Clooney Road
Londonderry 
BT47 6FN
Responses can also be e-mailed to: Tom.Coyle@hscni.net

  • We would also encourage you to share the CPNI Draft Response, with any stakeholders in your locality, who may also wish to refer to or use the CPNI Response when submitting their own response to the consultation.

Please do not hesitate to contact CPNI offices should you require any additional 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 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