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 receive 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 will contain:
- 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 loud and clear when the 2024-25 Northern Ireland budget is being allocated in the coming weeks.
Campaign resource packs will be arriving by post over the course of this week.
I would encourage you to make pharmacists and the wider pharmacy team aware of the campaign and the important impact patients and customers can make in supporting it.
If you have any questions, please contact Jude Austin – judea@communitypharmacyni.co.uk
Yours sincerely,
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive