For the attention of Community Pharmacies providing Community Pharmacy Care Home Support Service (CPCHSS)
Dear Contractor
Correspondence has been issued 7 February 2025 by SPPG to those pharmacies involved in the Community Pharmacy Care Home Support Service (CPCHSS).
SUMMARY
A requirement for the Community Care Home Support Service is to complete two care home visits each financial year.
The second care home visit is due to be completed by the end of March 2025.
SPPG have introduced a process for partial recuperation of payments made to community pharmacists who are contracted to provide the service but have not completed the required visits in line with service specification.
SPPG will be in contact in early April to seek confirmation and dates of the visits completed during 24/25 year.
ACTION
Contractors should read the correspondence issued by SPPG 7 February 2025.
Any pharmacy yet to complete the second required care home visit should organise a date before the end of March 2025.
Please share this information with all relevant members of the team.
EXTENSION: Thank you to everyone who has provided information so far. The closing date has been extended to 10th February 2025 so if you have not provided your information yet then there is still time to do so. Your support is greatly appreciated with this matter.
The following changes, announced in the Autumn budget, will impact considerably Community Pharmacy payroll costs from April 2025:
Minimum Wage:
1. The minimum wage for over 21s, known as the National Living Wage, will increase by 6.7%, from £11.44 to £12.21 from 1 April 2025. 2. For 18- to 20-year-olds, the minimum wage will increase from £8.60 to £10.00. 3. Apprentices will also see a wage increase, from £6.40 to £7.55 an hour.
National Insurance:
4. Employer National Insurance contributions (currently 13.8%) are to increase to 15% from April 2025. 5. The salary threshold where employer National Insurance contributions begin will be reduced to £5,000 per year. 6. The Employment Allowance for small businesses will be increased from £5,000 to £10,500.
CPNI’s initial estimate indicates approximately £10m additional cost impact for the community pharmacy sector next year. We have advised SPPG accordingly and are seeking mitigations against these cost increases. You will also be aware of joint representations having been made by CPNI-BDA-BMA-ONI on this matter (CPNI CU#241202B). SPPG and DoH(NI) also recognise that significant changes to National Living Wage (NLW) and National Minimum Wage (NMW) arrangements from 1st April 2025 obligate community pharmacies to review and increase all staff salary/wages from April 2025 and we have been asked by SPPG for assistance in obtaining information from contractors on the impact of the above budget changes on sector payroll costs in 2025/26.
Many of you will have linked with your payroll and/or accountancy advisors to establish the cost impact for you next year and your assistance is therefore sought in relation to providing the anticipated monetary impact of the following payroll costs in 2025/26 for your pharmacy business:
1. Total increased salary/payroll costs anticipated in 2025/26 compared to the current year. The impact of the E’er NIC changes referred to above should also be provided. 2. The number of pharmacy staff that this relates to. 3. The percentage of the increased costs that relate to staff with any NHS related activity. 4. The number of pharmacies to which the information relates to.
We previously gathered information relating to the periods 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24 payroll/tax years. Can we ask that you also include the 2024/25 costs alongside the anticipated 2025/26 costs?
If possible, can you provide an estimate of your payroll (Salary/pension/E’er NIC) cost increases between 2023/24 and 2024/25 to demonstrate the impact of the April 2024 NMW/NLW changes (including the impact those changes had on the payroll cost increases for other higher paid staff members)?
Additional pension contribution costs will also be required in due course given that increased pension costs are also a natural consequence of NMW/NLW increases.
As indicated above your payroll and/or accountancy advisors may be able to help you to provide the information we are seeking.
A number of contractors have already linked with CPNI to provide initial information and we acknowledge and appreciate that. We know there are many demands on your time at present but would ask that you try to provide the information listed above to office@communitypharmacyni.co.uk no later than Monday 3rd February 2025.
Any information provided to CPNI will treated as private and confidential, it will be internal to CPNI office staff only and it will be shared only with SPPG in an anonymised and collated format for the purposes outlined above.
Please do not hesitate to contact CPNI office should you need additional information or clarification in relation to this request.
Kind regards,
SENT ON BEHALF OF GERARD GREENE Chief Executive
Dear Contractor
As you will be aware, The Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has launched a consultation proposing a number of changes pertaining to registration and retention fees.
The consultation closes on 24 March 2025, and the full suite of documents can be accessed here.
Summary
PSNI proposes:
1. The following fee changes:
Initial Registration Fee: Proposed to increase from £398 to £477
Annual Retention Fee: Proposed to increase from £398 to £477
It is important to note that fees in relation to the registration or retention of pharmacy premises are not considered in this consultation.
Contractors may also be aware that GPhC has issued a consultation on fees which may be accessed here. They propose that, from September 2025, pharmacist renewal fees would increase by £17 to £293, and from September 2026, would increase by £17 to £310.
Contractors should remember that registrants in GB may also elect to join the professional body (the Royal Pharmaceutical Society) at a current cost of £243 per annum.
2. To change the method of notification of fees to include the option to receive notification via post or via email.
3. To enable retention fees to be collected in quarterly instalments by Direct Debit.
Action
The CPNI team will be drafting a response, and contractors are asked to consider the proposals and to respond directly to PSNI. CPNI will share our proposed response for your information. You may also send any comments to Mike or Ennis before Friday 21 February 2025.
Kind regards
Mike
SENT ON BEHALF OF PROF MIKE MAWHINNEY Head of Regulatory Affairs
**FAO LIVING WELL PHARMACIES ONLY**
Dear Contractor
Correspondence has been issued by SPPG on 05 February 2025 regarding the Living Well Campaign.
SUMMARY
The survey for the campaign ‘Stay well this winter’ has opened on 03 February 2025 and can be accessed here.
The survey will remain open until 6pm on Monday 03 March 2025.
The current campaign ‘Look after your mental health’ began on 01 February 2025 and online resources for this campaign can be found on the BSO website.
ACTION
Contractors are asked to review the correspondence issued by SPPG on 05 February 2025 regarding the Living Well Service and share with relevant team members.
The survey for the campaign ‘Stay well this winter’ is now available and must be completed before 6pm on Monday 03 March 2025.
For any further information please contact CPNI offices.
Kind regards
SENT ON BEHALF OF GERARD GREENE Chief Executive
Dear Colleague
The following concessionary prices granted in January 2025 have rolled over to February 2025:
Drug
Pack Size
Concessionary Price
Alendronic acid 70mg tablets
4
£1.21
Prucalopride 2mg tablets
28
£10.00
Concessionary prices will be paid against the usual code, no additional endorsements are needed.
Please continue to notify CPNI of any pricing issues you are experiencing via our Medicine Shortage Reporter.
Following representation by CPNI, the following products have been granted Zero Discount status from January 2025 prescriptions onwards and a retrospective payment for November 2024 prescriptions onwards will be made as part of the January 2025 payment:
Advagraf 0.5mg capsules
Brivaracetam 10mg tablets
Cabergoline 0.5mg tablets
Clexane 20mg
Ensure Plus milkshake style and yoghurt style liquid
Fortisip and Fortisip Compact
In addition, the following products will also be added to the Zero Discount list from January 2025:
The All-Party Group on Community Pharmacy met on Tuesday 28th January 2025 to discuss issues facing pharmacy including National Insurance Contribution rises and Winter Pressures. Community Pharmacists shared their first hand experiences of these key issues with the group.
The TMSNI group are providing a training opportunity via ECHO on Look-Alike Sound-Alike (LASA) medicines. The Echo session has been scheduled for Wednesday 5th February 2025 10-11.30am.
The link to join the meeting can be accessed here.
Survey on Pharmacist Involvement in Research
The Pharmacy Professionals Research incubator team, supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has asked CPNI to make contractors and their teams aware of a survey they are currently undertaking to explore the challenges facing pharmacists wishing to undertake or engage with research. The survey is open to all UK-registered pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, and will close on the 17th February 2025.
Community Pharmacies providing the Pharmacy First Pilot Service for Shingles
CPNI have developed a training PowerPoint presentation that can be accessed on the CPNI website under Pharmacy First Pilot Service for the Treatment of Shingles to further aid contractors and pharmacists in offering the service.
Pharmacy First Sore Throat Service
With the extension of the Pharmacy First Sore Throat service to 31st March 2025, participating community pharmacies are invited to publicise the service using the following resources.
Please bring this to the attention of your pharmacy team(s).
Kind regards
SENT ON BEHALF OF Gerard Greene Chief Executive
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