Archives: Contractor Email

Dear Colleague
Please find correspondence HERE from Kathryn Turner, Pharmacy Lead, Strategic Planning and Performance Group.

SUMMARY

  • The Interim Community Pharmacy Medicines Adherence Service for Trust discharge patients will be the first phase in the commissioning of a Medicines Adherence Service from community pharmacy.
  • Only those patients who have been assessed by the Trusts as requiring adherence support on discharge from hospital may be referred to community pharmacy for on-going provision.
  • The interim adherence service is commissioned as a core service under the community pharmacy contract framework. As such, all community pharmacy contractors are required to provide this service from 18 July 2022 and a contract is not required to be returned to SPPG.
  • The full details of the service are contained in the service specification and a summary flowchart.
  • A formal assessment of the patient’s adherence needs will be carried out by a Trust Health and Social Care professional. All assessments will be  reviewed by a Trust pharmacist before a referral will be made by Trust pharmacy to the patient’s community pharmacist. There will be an initial telephone call to the community pharmacist and the referral will then be sent via secure HSC email.
  • Community pharmacists will dispense medication in line with the recommendations from the adherence referral form (ARF) when they receive the post-discharge prescription issued by the patient’s GP practice.
  • Ideally, this should be completed within 72 hours of receipt of the post-discharge prescription.
  • Community pharmacists should only accept referrals received via Trust pharmacy using this process. Direct requests or referrals from other Trust health and social care professionals are not currently part of this interim service.
  • Community pharmacists must keep a register of patients for whom they have received referrals and provided the service.
  • An annual fee of £600 per patient has been agreed with CPNI for patients referred into this service. Payment will be made on a monthly basis (£50 per patient) on submission of the claim form to your local SPPG office.
  • The summary flowchart provides an overview of the service for Trusts, GP practices and community pharmacies. Separate detailed correspondence has been issued to both Trusts and GP practices to advise them of the service and detail the actions required to ensure successful implementation of this service.
  • The ECHO training session which was delivered on 28 June 2022 was recorded and will shortly be available on the ECHO Moodle site. This recording should be viewed by all pharmacists prior to service delivery.
    • Pharmacists must be registered with ECHO to view the recording. The link to registration is HERE. There is also a short video available here to assist with registration.
    • Any problems please contact Elaine Kane at e.kane@hospiceuk.org Tel: 028 95582393.
  • Work is continuing to specify a transitional commissioned adherence service later in 2022. This will enable community pharmacists to assess and provide adherence support to patients in the community (Cohort 2) and maintain a register of these patients within the pharmacy.

ACTION

  • Contractors and pharmacists involved in the provision of this service are asked to review the correspondence and service specification.
  • All community pharmacy contractors should put in place a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the provision of the service.
  • If you have any queries please contact a Pharmacy Advisor at your local SPPG office.
  • 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
Dear Contractor
Please see attached correspondence from Kathryn Turner, Pharmacy Lead Strategic Planning and Performance Group, and Stephen Wilson, Director of Operations (Interim) PHA.

SUMMARY

  • As a result of the work and commitment from Community Pharmacy, SPPG and PHA are pleased to inform you that this service will be continuing into 2022/23.
  • Community Pharmacy will continue to receive a campaign initiation letter detailing key campaign dates and important information, and evaluation surveys will be issued after each campaign to capture each pharmacy’s activity and experiences.
  • Printed resources will be provided as usual, however for some campaigns, other further resources are available online to support your pharmacy.  All printable and extra resources are available HERE.
  • Funding of £500 per pharmacy for each campaign will continue to be made.  This funding will be paid in monthly instalments of £250 and will appear as an adjustment to payment on your BSO schedule.
  • The competition, for pharmacy teams, that formed part of the Living Well Service prior to the pandemic, is hoped to be reinstated during this schedule year. If this occurs, pharmacies will be notified of any competition details, starting campaign and initiation dates.
  • The Living Well Campaign Schedule for the 2022/23 year is as follows:
    • July – August 2022: Breastfeeding
    • September – October 2022: Cancer
    • October – November 2022: Winter Vaccines
    • December 2022 – January 2023: Home Accident Prevention
    • February – March 2023: Frailty / Physical Activity

ACTION

  • Contractors and Community Pharmacy teams involved in providing Living Well campaigns are asked to read the attached correspondence.
  • Community Pharmacies contracted to provide “Living Well” submit their evaluation survey after each campaign as it allows SPPG to collate data to demonstrate the value and impact that the service has to the public and other sectors.
  • If you have not received or have any resources queries, please email reception.pha@hscni.net and ensure your email subject heading is titled “LIVING WELL PHARMACY CAMPAIGN”.
  • If you have any queries, please contact a Pharmacy Advisor at your local SPPG office.
  • 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
This update contains important information for community pharmacy teams, including details of the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

BSO ALERTS

CPNI ALERTS

DOH(NI) ALERTS

Please bring this to the attention of your pharmacy team(s).
Pharmacy team(s) can keep updated via CPNI’s Contractor Calendar and Contractor Emails.

Or report medicine shortages, pricing and staffing issues via the CPNI’s Medicine Shortage Reporter and Situation Reporter.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
DR. GARETH C. GILVARY
Governance & Support Pharmacist
Dear Contractor
Please see attached correspondence issued by Mrs Cathy Harrison, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer that we have been asked to bring to the attention of Community Pharmacy Contractors.

The letter provides helpful and updated Guidance in relation to COVID-19 Testing and Isolation specifically for Community Pharmacy Settings.

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
Dear Contractor
CPNI has been liaising with the Pharmaceutical Society Northern Ireland (PSNI) in relation to the registration process and timeline for Foundation Training Year (FTY) pharmacists intending to register with PSNI this summer.

PSNI has confirmed the following:
  • PSNI will open the portal to registration applications on 1 July 2022.
  •  The Common Registration Assessment (CRA) results will be available on 29 July 2022.
  • From 1 August 2022, PSNI will begin to process all completed applications that they receive by 15 July 2022 from FTY pharmacists who have;
    • completed the FTY programme,
    • been successful in the CRA and
    • paid the relevant fees.
  • PSNI will aim to Register all those who have completed the steps outlined above on or before Friday, 5 August 2022, with subsequent applications being processed in order received thereafter.

Contractors are advised to encourage Foundation Year pharmacists to properly complete their online applications and to ensure they have completed all the necessary elements of their FTY training with NICPLD and tendered the relevant payment to the PSNI on time.

It is anticipated that PSNI will confirm these arrangements and provide further information on their website in due course, but hopefully this information will, in the meantime, help you in the planning of your pharmacy staffing arrangements going forward.

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

Dear Colleague

  • Mrs Cathy Harrison, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, confirmed the Pharmacy Foundation Training Year (FTY) Placement Grant that has been made available for 2022/23 in the attached correspondence.
  • The Department of Health will be making a total FTY grant of £24,904 available to each contractor for each trainee pharmacist, who will be starting their placement from July 2022, subject to the regulatory requirements of the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland being met.
  • The letter advises that the total grant will include a salary of £19,404 for each foundation year trainee. The remaining £5,500 grant should be paid to individual contractors to include a protected employer specific, funding allocation per placement, to cover training and employer on-costs associated with each placement. For part time placements, these amounts should be reduced proportionately.
  • Please do not hesitate to contact the BSO should you require any further information.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive