Archives: Contractor Email

Dear Contractor
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has issued information on new tools that will help organisations protect themselves, others in their sector and the wider Northern Ireland community from the impact of cyber-crime.

Launch of NCSC Scam Website Reporting Service
This new service from the NCSC allows members of the public and local organisations to report suspicious websites be they linked to fake news, investment schemes or sites looking to capture personal or corporate information.  Once received, the NCSC will analyse the website and if found to be malicious, look to take action to protect others from falling victim to the same scam. details can be found HERE.

Helping Microsoft Office365 users to report phishing
Many Corporate and Business users of Office365 will be familiar with Microsoft’s one click ‘Report Phishing’ service that can be installed on user accounts.  Thanks to recently released guidance from the NCSC for IT administrators, those using the ‘Report Phishing’ tool can now configure the add-in to report phishing emails direct to the NCSC Suspicious Email Reporting Service.  This simple to implement tool can help users quickly report emails they suspect to be phishing to a service which, as of 30 June 2021, had received over 6,500,000 reports and taken action against some 50,500 scams and 97,000 URLs.  Details can be found HERE.

ACTION

Contractors are advised to:

  1. Note the additional tools which are now available to help combat cyber-crime.

Contractors are reminded that the storage and back up of patient sensitive data and any amendments to your systems should only be carried out in line with advice from your IT or email supplier, PMR system provider and in line with Data Protection legislation.

CPNI colleagues will continue to keep you updated on these matters.

Kind regards – Mike

SENT ON BEHALF OF
PROF. MIKE MAWHINNEY
Head of Regulatory Affairs

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 or pricing issues via the CPNI’s Medicine Shortage Reporter.

Kind regards

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

Dear Colleague
The following concessionary prices have been granted for August 2021:
DrugPack SizeConcessionary Price
Enalapril 5mg tablets28£6.99
Orlistat 120mg capsules84£21.99
Pregabalin 25mg capsules56£2.76
Sulfasalazine 500mg tablets112£15.72
Timolol 0.25% eye drops5ml£5.00
Timolol 0.5% eye drops5ml£3.94

This is the final update of concessionary prices for August 2021.

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

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

Final Opportunity To Sign-up for Service 

Dear Colleague
Further to previous correspondence HERE sent on 13 August 2021.

Contractors are advised to:

  1. Review the attached correspondence, service specification, and additional clinical guidance.
  2. The closing date to sign up for this service was Friday 20 August 2021, however, there is a final opportunity to sign-up for service with an absolute deadline of Friday 27 August 2021. Return a signed copy of this contract via email to your local HSCB office if you wish to provide this service.
  3. If you have any queries in relation to this service please contact: Michelle McCourt (E) michelle.mccourt@hscni.net (T) 028 9536 2789 or Louise Hynes (E) louise.hynes@hscni.net (T) 028 9536 2788.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
GERARD GREENE

Chief Executive
Dear Colleague
Please find attached HERE correspondence from Prof. Sir Michael McBride, Chief Medical Officer.

SUMMARY

  • As of 20 August 2021, fully vaccinated Health and Social Care workers will be permitted to attend work under the new measures pertaining to the general population as outlined HERE. Employers no longer need to demonstrate that the service is in extreme circumstances to ask employees to return to work.
  • Fully vaccinated staff who are identified as a contact of a positive COVID-19 case will no longer be expected to isolate and can to return to work in most circumstances. However, it is important that safeguards (found HERE and detailed below) are implemented for them do so safely:
    • The staff member has had two doses of an approved vaccine, and is at least two weeks (14 days) post their second vaccination at the point of exposure.
    • A negative PCR test prior to returning to their workplace. Staff should not attend work while awaiting the PCR test result. A subsequent PCR test should also be undertaken at day 8 following exposure to the case of COVID-19.
    • Provision of subsequent, daily negative LFD antigen tests for a minimum of 10 days following their last contact with the case each day before commencing a shift.
    • LFD test results should be reported to Test and Trace via the web portal and to their duty manager or an identified senior staff member). Any close contact who has a positive LFD test should self-isolate and arrange a PCR test.
    • If a staff member has had a SARS-CoV-2 infection in the past 90 days, they should not have a PCR test and should only undertake daily LFD antigen tests (as above).
    • The staff member is and remains asymptomatic.
    • Continued use of IPC measures, in line with the current UK IPC guidance and appropriate to the service setting to which the staff member is returning.
    • The staff member does not have ongoing contact with the person who tested positive for COVID-19, for example, they do not live with them. The staff member should remain off until 10 days have elapsed following exposure to a household contact.
    • The staff member should be given information about COVID-19 symptoms and asked to self-check for symptoms every day. If the staff member develops any COVID-19 symptoms they should stay at home and immediately arrange a PCR test.

ACTION

Contractors are advised to:

  1. Review the attached correspondence.
  2. Implement safeguards (found HERE) to ensure a fully vaccinated staff who are identified as a contact of a positive COVID-19 case can return to work safely.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive

Dear Colleague
The following concessionary prices have been granted for August 2021:
DrugPack SizeConcessionary Price
Etoricoxib 90mg tablets28£7.29
Ivabradine 5mg tablets56£12.19
Ivabradine 7.5mg tablets56£12.73
Lercanidipine 10mg tablets28£4.40
Nitrofurantoin 50mg capsules30£11.25
Olmesartan medoxomil 40mg tablets28£9.95
Perindopril erbumine 8mg tablets30£2.40
Pioglitazone 30mg tablets28£2.00
Sulfasalazine 500mg gastro-resistant tablets112£17.19
Sodium fluoride 0.05% mouthwash sugar free250ml£1.72
Sulpiride 200mg tablets30£5.85

This is the second update of concessionary prices for August 2021.

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

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