The Strategic Planning and Performance Group (SPPG) are establishing a new Service User/Carer Engagement Advisory Group to provide input and advice on the development of safe and efficient pharmacy and medicines services.
Service Users and Carers are invited to join the group to provide people with an opportunity to have their say on how Pharmacy services are delivered and how medicines are managed safely in Northern Ireland.
We would ask you to signpost potential individuals you may know who could participate in the forum to Patient Initiatives. The group is expected to meet four times per year with the first meeting to be held in June 2024.
By getting involved participants will:
Help improve the experience for people who use pharmacy services and ensure the safe use of medicines.
Help the SPPG Pharmacy team understand how to provide better pharmaceutical services and safer use of medicines.
*** For those contractors who have not yet completed the declaration ***
Please note that there is still time to do so using the link. A payment of £1200 will be made to those pharmacies who submit their declaration and this will be paid with BSO payment for April. SPPG have advised that they will be closing the link in the coming days.
Dear Colleague
Further to the correspondence issued by SPPG 14th March 2024 regarding the Community Pharmacy Assurance Framework over 400 contractors have submitted the declaration.
SUMMARY
SPPG is seeking completion of the Community Pharmacy Assurance Framework (CPAF) declaration form for your pharmacy, for the 2023/24 year.
The aim and purpose of the framework is to monitor compliance with Terms of Service, service specifications, related professional standards and best practice guidance.
SPPG has recently worked with CPNI to review, update and agree the Assurance framework for the 2023/24 year.
A payment of £1200 will be made to each pharmacy, upon return of the completed declaration, for compliance with the CPAF process in 2023/24.
The recently resumed CPAF visits will continue, and pharmacies will be contacted directly if selected for a visit.
ACTION
Contractors are asked to review the correspondence and share with all relevant team members.
For those pharmacies who have yet to complete the declaration please use the following link. The declaration is to be completed by Wednesday 27th March 2024.
A copy of the current practice leaflet and the complaints procedure/SOP should be submitted via email to your local office by 31st March 2024.
CPNI have produced a guidance document and resources to support you with CPAF, available on CPNI’s website HERE.
Please contact the Pharmacy Advisor at your local office for any queries.
Kind regards
SENT ON BEHALF OF GERARD GREENE Chief Executive
For the attention of Community Pharmacies providing the Spring 2024 COVID-19 Community Pharmacy Vaccination Service
Dear Contractor
SPPG have issued important information regarding the COVID-19 vaccination programme 9th April 2024.
SUMMARY
The PGD for the COVID-19 Spring vaccination programme has been uploaded to the BSO website.
ACTION
Contractors are asked to review the correspondence issued by SPPG 9th April 2024 regarding the Spring COVID-19 vaccination programme.
Recently SPPG issued correspondence regarding the Pharmacy First Service for uncomplicated UTIs in women aged 16-64 years.
SUMMARY
The correspondence details that 451 pharmacies in NI are contracted to provide the UTI service, and since launch in November over 4000 patients have benefited from the service. SPPG have discussed with CPNI that 39% of contracted pharmacies have not yet submitted a return for any activity undertaken.
ACTION
For those pharmacies that are providing the UTI service but have yet to submit a monthly claim form, can access the claim form on the BSO website here. This should be emailed each month to the local integrated care office for processing and payment of service fees.
For those pharmacies who no longer wish to be contracted to provide the UTI service, please contact your local SPPG office.
If any pharmacists require additional help or support with implementing the Pharmacy First UTI service, please contact chunter@communitypharmacyni.co.uk.
Please do not hesitate to contact a member of the CPNI team should you have any queries.
Kind regards
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 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.
SPPG have issued correspondence relating to the COVID-19 Spring Booster Vaccination Service 8th April 2024.
SUMMARY
SPPG have issued a reminder to contractors who intend on providing the Spring COVID-19 vaccination programme to Care Homes to complete the online pairing survey by 15th April 2024.
ACTION
Contractors are asked to read the correspondence issued by SPPG 8th April 2024 regarding Care Home pairings for the Spring vaccination programme.
Those pharmacies that intend on vaccinating Care Homes are asked to complete the online pairing survey by 15th April 2024.
Each contracted pharmacy should select all care home(s) for which they will be paired with.
WhatsApp Business Terms of Service can be found here and privacy policy hereUCA-NI Privacy Policy We take your privacy seriously and do not share or sell any personal details with third parties for commercial purposes. If you have any questions, please contact the CPNI office. You can withdraw your consent to be contacted at any time by calling 028 9069 0444 or by emailing info@communitypharmacyni.co.uk. CPNI Data Protection Policy and Data Retention policy can be found Click Here
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