Archives: Contractor Email

Dear Colleague

CPNI continues to liaise with SimplyBook.Me (SBM) in developing the online COVID-19 VBS that can be used by members of the public for booking COVID-19 vaccination appointments from their pharmacy of choice.

Contractors can expect to receive a contractual agreement from SBM within 24 hours and you will be asked to complete and return it to SBM to enable your pharmacy account(s) to be set-up. 

This will be sent to the pharmacy contact email address you provided to CPNI last week, for sharing with SBM. I would ask you to ensure that the appropriate person within your pharmacy (group), with responsibility for setting up accounts with suppliers, is notified and made aware of the deadline for return of the contract to SimplyBook.Me after it is issued by SBM.

I appreciate the turn-around times for providing information in relation to SimplyBook.Me are very tight. I would however ask you to prioritise this matter to ensure your vaccine booking system can be developed in advance of the COVID-19 vaccination service commencing next week.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF 
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive

Dear Colleague

Please find attached information for the upcoming Virtual ECHO Session on Monday 22 March 2021 at 19:30-21:00.

Please find attached HERE information for how to register attendance. Please ensure any of your pharmacists providing the COVID vaccination service, and who have not previously registered for the Community Pharmacy ECHO sessions, do so in advance. Deadline for registration is 3pm.

Please find attached the Agenda including Zoom Meeting ID & Passcode ahead of the Session. 

The topic of discussion will be ‘Community Pharmacy COVID Vaccination Service’.

Please also find attached the Attendee/Moodle Guidance Notes to assist you.

Kind regards – Vanessa

SENT ON BEHALF OF 
VANESSA CHAMBERS
Head of Policy and Development

Dear Contractor

You will be aware from previous CPNI updates that cyber incidents – such as account compromises, malware attacks and phishing – are experienced by businesses worldwide on a daily basis, with home working and the COVID crisis increasing the risk of attacks. 

On 2 March 2021, Microsoft made public that sophisticated actors had attacked a number of Exchange servers.  In response to this Microsoft released multiple security updates for affected servers. This does not affect Exchange Online (see details in this link). The updates were released ahead of the monthly update cycle because four of the seven vulnerabilities have been used in ongoing attacks. The security updates fix the vulnerabilities exploited in the attack. 

A wide variety of threat actors are using automated tools to scan for Exchange servers where updates are not installed. The actors then install malicious software to servers identified as vulnerable. On 11 March it was reported that ransomware actors have also exploited these vulnerabilities, or made use of the installed malicious software, to install ransomware on a network. 

ACTION

Contractors are advised to:

  1. Note the details in the attached link and action as appropriate.

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.

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.

Dear Colleague

In today’s update:

  1. Weekly drug alerts, shortages information, serious shortage protocols and patient safety alerts.
  2. Contractor updates on 1st concessionary prices, testing COVID-CPVS VMS and VBS. and ECHO session details.
  3. HSCB updates on PPE for COVID-CPVS, EOI for UTI pilot and Living Well campaigns.

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

Many thanks, stay safe – Gareth

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

March 2021 – 1st Update

Dear Colleague

The following concessionary prices have been granted for March 2021:

DrugPack SizeConcessionary
Price
Chlorpromazine 50mg tablets28£19.95
Ciprofloxacin 500mg tablets10£3.11
Duloxetine 30mg gastro-resistant capsules28£1.82
Duloxetine 60mg gastro-resistant capsules28£3.18
Enalapril 10mg tablets28£5.99
Eplerenone 25mg tablets28£12.35
Esomeprazole 20mg gastro-resistant capsules28£3.67
Esomeprazole 20mg gastro-resistant tablets28£5.80
Esomeprazole 40mg gastro-resistant capsules28£3.85
Lamotrigine 100mg tablets56£5.90
Lamotrigine 25mg tablets56£2.30
Lamotrigine 50mg tablets56£4.50
Letrozole 2.5mg tablets14£2.25
Moxonidine 200microgram tablets28£9.59
Moxonidine 300microgram tablets28£5.95
Moxonidine 400microgram tablets28£7.00
Olmesartan medoxomil 10mg tablets28£9.95
Olmesartan medoxomil 20mg tablets28£12.29
Olmesartan medoxomil 40mg tablets28£15.95
Pregabalin 100mg capsules84£6.88
Pregabalin 25mg capsules56£2.15
Tamoxifen 20mg tablets30£8.20
Topiramate 25mg capsules60£22.18

This is the 1st update of concessionary prices for March 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.

Kinds regards, stay safe – Gareth

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

Dear Colleague

Please find attached correspondence from Kathryn Turner, Pharmacy Lead HSCB regarding an update on readiness for Vaccine Management System (VMS) access.

ACTION

Contractors are asked to:

  • Test that they can access the VMS sign-in page and ensure there are no local system issues that would prevent access.
  • Confirm the VMS login was successful by emailing local office using secure emails.
  • If there are problems accessing the VMS other error messages appear, please contact BSO e-business team on 028 9536 3681 (Option 3, then Option 4) or by emailing ebusiness@hscni.net.

For any further queries please in relation to this service contact either:

  • Chris Blayney (chris.blayney@hscni.net) or
  • Greg Miller (greg.miller@hscni.net).

Please do not hesitate to contact CPNI offices should you require any additional information at this stage.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive