Archives: Contractor Email

Dear Colleagues,

Further to HSCB COVID-CPVS Update 25 issued on Friday 2 July 2021. I write to advise that Contractors and Pharmacy Staff providing commissioned COVID-19 vaccination services may find the option to administer a second dose of AZ vaccine to patients presenting at the pharmacy, who have received their first AZ vaccine from another provider, helpful in minimising the occurrence of vaccine waste in the pharmacy as a result of either vaccine overage in the AZ vials or in instances of cancelled or missed appointments (DNA’s) in community pharmacy vaccination schedules.

HSCB COVID-CPVS Update 25 contains specific information and conditions that need to be complied with should your pharmacy be asked by a patient to administer a second dose AZ vaccine where the patient received the first dose AZ vaccine from another provider. 

HSCB will be writing to General Practitioners asking that they continue to provide second dose AZ vaccines to any of their patients for whom they have administered the first dose AZ vaccine, so community pharmacies should see such requests in the pharmacy as the exception rather than the norm. 

Contractors should not feel obligated to facilitate such requests and may refer the patient back to the initial, or other, provider.

CPNI will also be meeting with HSCB to review the COVID-CPVS remuneration model in light of additional resource, time, staff and expense incurred by contractors since the roll-out of the COVID vaccination programme in the community pharmacy setting.

Please do not hesitate to contact CPNI offices should you require any additional information or clarity.

Kinds regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive
Dear Colleague
The police cybercrime unit has advised CPNI (attached) that a number of local organisations have reported recent issues with compromised email accounts resulting from users clicking on phishing emails. 

The police indicate that the emails had slight variations in text, but included the line ‘The attached file is too large to be sent through pdf’ and the campaign is following familiar lines:
  1. Email received from a compromised contact.
  2. Link clicked prompting the user to enter their password.
  3. Account accessed by attackers who then put in place a sweep rule to delete incoming emails (bounce backs).
  4. Recipients contacts / inbox used as a new target list.

Contractors and their IT support will have their own internal procedures on detecting a compromised report, but the police do advise that the basic advice contained in the attached stands in that they would encourage users to report the incident, secure their account and notify any interested parties to help minimise the risk of further compromises.

ACTION

Contractors are advised to:

  1. Inform staff of this incident and of the police cybercrime unit advice; and
  2. Note the advice and guidance given on the CPNI website cyber security page in respect of steps you can take to protect your data and businesses.

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

Or report medicine shortages or pricing issues via the CPNI’s

Kind regards

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

Dear Colleagues,

Please find attached for your attention, correspondence from Kathryn Turner, Pharmacy Lead, HSCB.

The purpose of this correspondence is to inform community pharmacies of the following:

  1. A change to the service specification that will allow community pharmacies to provide second doses of the AZ COVID vaccine to patients who have had their first dose administered by another provider.

Kinds regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
DR. GARETH C. GILVARY
Governance & Support Pharmacist
Dear Colleague
Please find correspondence HERE for your attention, from Paul Loughran, BSO Pharmaceutical Services Manager.

SUMMARY

  • From Thursday 1 July 2021 re-ordering of all prescription forms for use in primary care will move to an online form.
  • Once the online form has been completed and submitted it will automatically go to DLRT for processing and you will receive an electronic copy of the submission for your records.
  • Please note that this relates to ALL types of forms, including PPVs, PCD1s, and SP1/2.

ACTION

  • Contractors are asked to review the correspondence.
  • Access the online form and a user guide HERE.
  • Note that from Thursday 1 July 2021 it will NOT be able to post or email a request form to DLRT.
  • Queries relating to the electronic form please email FPS eBusiness on ebusiness@hscni.net.
  • If you have any queries relating to your request for new Prescription Forms please contact DLRT on 0289 262 2999.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive

Dear Colleague
Please find correspondence HERE for your attention, from HSCB Pharmacy & Medicines Management.
SUMMARY
  • Additional information from the Resuscitation Council was published on 4 January 2021. It states that although oxygen is advised in the recent guidance for vaccination settings, it has not been needed for routine immunisations in the community, based on a local risk assessment. The immediate availability of oxygen is not an absolute requirement for vaccination settings. 

ACTION

  • Contractors are asked to review the correspondence.
  • If interested in the provision of this COVID-CPVS2, please complete the expression of interest form attached as Appendix A and return by email to local offices below by 2 July 2021.
  • If you have any queries please in relation to this service contact: Brendan Kerr email Brendan.kerr@hscni.net Tel: 02895363914 or Mob: 07554773972.
  • This Moderna EOI provides contractors with an opportunity to provide COVID vaccination services to individuals in the under 40 years of age cohort, something that is not possible with the Astra Zeneca vaccine at present.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive