Correspondence has been issued by SPPG 15th April 2024 to those pharmacies yet to submit an evaluation survey for the Living Well campaign ‘Know Your Units’.
SUMMARY
The survey for the campaign ‘Know you Units’ opened on the 1stApril 2024 and can be accessed here
The survey must be completed by 6pm on29th April 2024, please ensure to reach the final screen to confirm submission.
ACTION
Contractors who have yet to complete the Living Well survey for the campaign ‘Know Your Units’ are asked to read the correspondence issued by SPPG 15th April 2024 and share with relevant team members.
The survey for the campaign ‘Know Your Units’ is now available and must be completed before 6pm on 29th April 2024.
For any further information please contact CPNI offices.
Kind regards
SENT ON BEHALF OF GERARD GREENE Chief Executive
Dear Colleague
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has published the initial list of concessionary prices for April 2024. This announcement comes late in the month and follows the decision by DHSC, under the direction of Ministers, to impose changes to concessionary prices from April to try to manage purchase margins. Community Pharmacy England has opposed these changes. CPNI will continue to raise our concerns around the application of the English Drug Tariff in Northern Ireland with the Department of Health (NI). The initial update of concessionary prices for April 2024 are as follows:
The letter confirms that Ministerial approval has been given to extend various additional funding allocations provided in 2023/24 into 2024/25. This means that the community pharmacy funding position of £142.9m @ 31st March 2024 is carried over into 2024/25. In addition, Ministerial approval of an advance payment of £1m per quarter (associated with the anticipated Global Sum and non-Global Sum uplifts in 2024/25) has also been given. This therefore increases the opening funding allocation for 2024/25 to £147m.
A summary outline of the community pharmacy funding in 2023/24 and the opening 2024/25 community pharmacy funding can be found here.
Contractors are asked to read the letter and note the funding arrangements applicable from April 2024.
CPNI, while recognising the importance of the additional investment provided in 2023/24 by the Permanent Secretary and the Health Minister Mr Robin Swann MLA, has been consistent in stating that the sector was still under-funded by approximately £15m in 2023/24. The advance payment of £1m per quarter (associated with the anticipated GS and non-GS uplifts) is also welcome but with NMW/NLW increases, increased business overhead costs and Northern Ireland Drug Tariff changes all impacting Contractors further from this month, CPNI is concerned that the funding deficit is widening as we go into 2024/25.
CPNI continues to make representations to the Health Minister, DoH and SPPG officials and elected representatives and we encourage Contractors to continue engaging with the Health Minister and local MLA’s as well as raising public awareness of the sector difficulties through the CPNI public awareness campaign.
I would also ask contractors to continue notifying CPNI offices if your BSO payment(s) on 30th April 2024 are insufficient to meet wholesaler, payroll and pharmacy overhead costs this month.
Please do not hesitate to contact CPNI offices if you require any additional information.
Yours sincerely,
SENT ON BEHALF OF GERARD GREENE Chief Executive
Dear Contractor,
You will be aware that Community Pharmacy is in an unprecedented financial crisis.
Over recent weeks and months, CPNI has been in intensive discussions with the Health Minister and elected representatives to outline the financial challenges being faced by our sector – and the implications for patients and pharmacy services.
We are aware of the extremely difficult financial challenges of managing payments to wholesale suppliers. We know that there are increasing occasions when medicines cannot be supplied because cash flow is so restricted that payment to wholesalers cannot be made. We understand the frustration and despondency this is causing in the sector, and we know how diligently pharmacy contractors are working to look after the needs of their local community patients and customers.
Political Lobbying Campaign
We have met with the Health Minister and with the Permanent Secretary of the Department of Health on a number of occasions, and we have very recently briefed the Health Committee, and continue to engage with elected representatives. Many pharmacy contractors have independently written to the Minister, Health Committee members and civil servants to share their personal stories and to make a direct appeal for change. This has been a very important element of the lobbying campaign.
Changes we are calling for:
Urgent stabilisation of community pharmacy funding in the short-term and a re-set of community pharmacy funding.
Putting in place a Northern Ireland specific Drug Tariff that reflects Northern Ireland’s unique circumstances and that will assure sustainable service provision and medicine supply to patients going forward.
Investment in the community pharmacy network to further extend the range of community pharmacy services, so that we can continue to play a transformative role in helping to keep patients closer to home, for longer, and reducing pressures on general practice, out-of-hours, and secondary care.
Public Awareness Campaign
We are now putting this campaign in front of community pharmacy patients to explain why the current financial pressures mean that medicine supplies and pharmacy services cannot be guaranteed.
We rely on patients’ support, and we are asking for their understanding while this crisis is resolved. We want patients to know that their local community pharmacy is doing its best and that this problem is affecting the whole community pharmacy sector in Northern Ireland.
In sharing this with patients, we are also seeking their support for our campaign. Pharmacies will by now have received campaign resource packs with information and materials which we hope will help you to create awareness and provide ways that patients and customers can give their support.
Campaign resource packs contained:
Posters for your window and in-store.
Petition sheets for the counter. These simply require the patient or customer’s name, postcode and a signature – no further address or contact details are required. Please encourage patients and customers to sign the petition.
A bundle of small flyers outlining the campaign and urging individuals to contact their local elected representatives. These feature a QR code which can be scanned with a smartphone camera, to link to a page where they will find the contact details for their local politician. The flyer will also provide suggested text for their correspondence.
This campaign will also be supported by social media assets which will be shared with you directly.
There is widespread political support for the role of community pharmacy services and it is important that the public voice is also loud and clear.
I would encourage you to make your pharmacists and the wider pharmacy team aware of the campaign and the important impact patients and customers can make in supporting it.
A reminder to ensure that VMS Entries for Care Home Residents include the RQIA Code.
A reminder that pharmacies who have paired with a care home and who have submitted a contract to the SPPG, can now proceed to plan the dates for the vaccination clinic(s) in association with the respective care home(s).
ACTION
Contractors providing the service should:
Read CPVS update 2 and share with relevant members of the pharmacy team.
Please do not hesitate to contact the CPNI office should you require any further information.
Kind regards
SENT ON BEHALF OF GERARD GREENE Chief Executive
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