Archives: Contractor Email

Dear Contractor
What if you received the following message today: “We are going to publish your pharmacy’s confidential patient data on the web”.

Take a moment to consider what you would do if you were informed by cyber criminals that they had accessed your pharmacy’s patient data and were intending to publish it, in full, on the web.
 
Cyberattacks on healthcare systems throughout the world (and on some systems very close to home) can lead to devastating consequences financially, reputationally and legally. Take a moment to consider what you would do if your pharmacy IT system was compromised tonight, and tomorrow morning you could not access patient details, dispensing histories, statutory records, outstanding order details, ordering platforms, staff salary details, or your business bank account particulars.
 
In respect of your pharmacy systems, you are at an increased risk if you do any of the following:
  • Use a “free” email account
  • Allow unfiltered access to websites from your system
  • Use default passwords for all systems and staff
  • Use the unsupported Windows 7 systems
  • Have no or inadequate antivirus protection
  • Lack a firewall
  • Have an open Wi-Fi
  • Fail to train your staff on how to recognise cyber-attacks

ACTION

Contractors are advised to:

  1. Consider the above and to contact your IT and/or PMR system provider as a priority if your system is at risk of being compromised

Further helpful and easy-to-read guidance issued by the National Cyber Security Centre is available via the attached links:

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.

CPNI colleagues will continue to keep you updated on these matters.
Please bring this to the attention of your pharmacy team(s).

Pharmacy team(s) can keep updated via CPNI’s website.

Kind regards – Mike

SENT ON BEHALF OF
PROF. MIKE MAWHINNEY
Head of Regulatory Affairs
Dear Colleague
The third update concessionary prices was granted for October 2021:
DrugPack SizeConcessionary Price
Cinnarizine 15mg tablets84£3.96
Clomipramine 10mg capsules28£2.50
Clomipramine 25mg capsules28£3.47
Ivabradine 5mg tablets56£8.35
Ivabradine 7.5mg tablets56£7.53
Metformin 500mg/5ml oral solution sugar free150£40.48
Naftidrofuryl 100mg capsules84£8.10
Perindopril erbumine 4mg tablets30£1.58
Pioglitazone 30mg tablets28£2.61
Sodium fluoride 0.05% mouthwash sugar free250£1.72
Tolterodine 1mg tablets56£4.28
Tolterodine 2mg tablets56£4.82
Trazodone 50mg capsules28£3.59

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.

Kind regards

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

Dear Colleague
Please find correspondence HERE from Kathryn Turner, Pharmacy Lead HSCB.

SUMMARY

  • Community Pharmacies contracted to provide COVID-19 Moderna vaccine booster doses are asked to urgently proceed to vaccinate all eligible patients who are 50 years of age and older.
  • Patients must present no earlier than six months after completion of the primary vaccine course, (for most people this will be two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine).
  • Frontline health and social care workers who are 18 years or over are also eligible with appropriate ID or a letter from a responsible body. Please refer to appendix 3 of the service specification for acceptable forms of ID to prove patient eligibility.

ACTION

  • Contractors are asked to review the correspondence.
  • If you are yet to place an order for COVID-19 Moderna vaccine stock from Movianto, please proceed to do so now via the wholesalers ordering system. Remember the delivery will take 3-5 days.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive
Dear Colleague
The COVID-19 booster programme is now live with almost 250 community pharmacies contracted to provide the service. This is a tremendous uptake and a huge opportunity for community pharmacy to once again play a pivotal role in the vaccination programme for Northern Ireland.
 
Health Minister Robin Swann MLA and Dr. Patricia Donnelly, Head of the COVID-19 Vaccine Programme, want community pharmacy to play a significant role within the overall COVID-19 vaccination booster campaign. They are keen for community pharmacy to administer 10,000+ booster doses per week as soon as possible, which equates to an average of approximately 40 booster vaccinations per contracted pharmacy per week. With the service now live we would hope this is achievable once pharmacy teams start implementing the booster service.
 
The following points may be helpful for pharmacy teams as they start or continue with the COVID-19 vaccination booster service:

Eligible cohorts are those 50 years of age and above AND frontline Health and Social Care workers.

Six months should have passed since the person received their 2nd primary dose.

Community pharmacies should place orders with Movianto for their Moderna booster doses (currently less than half of contracted pharmacies have requested stock).

Let your patients know how and when you will be providing your COVID-19 Vaccination booster service, using posters, signage and promoting this service via your social media channels. 

You may wish to display this poster within your pharmacy HERE (further posters will become available with the next Living Well campaign).

We are again encouraged by the willingness of the network to step up and provide the COVID-19 vaccination booster service and we would like to thank all pharmacy teams for getting involved in this important aspect of the COVID-19 vaccination drive, while still running busy community pharmacies and juggling workforce difficulties.
 
A successful roll-out of the community pharmacy COVID-19 Booster programme for those aged 50 years and above and for frontline Health and Social Care workers would support the case for further cohorts of patients being eligible to receive their COVID-19 Booster vaccine from community pharmacies.
 
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 

  • Weekly Drug Alerts are available here.
  • Weekly Shortages Information is available here.
  • Serious Shortage Protocols are available here.

CPNI ALERTS 

HSCB 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 or pricing issues via the CPNI’s Medicine Shortage Reporter.

Kind regards

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

Dear Colleague
Please find correspondence HERE from Ms. Louise McMahon, Director of Integrated Care.
SUMMARY
  • Minister for Health Robin Swann’s announcement to pay £500 to HSC staff in recognition of the contribution to the delivery of health and social care services during the unique and unprecedented challenges presented by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
  • In a previous letter from Ms. McMahon on 28 July 2021, it was advised that due to the complexities involved in calculating and processing the payments for those staff not on the HSC payroll it would take more time to put the necessary processes in place.
  • Todays update letter confirms that a defined process has been developed to support the ultimate payment to FPS contractors. A claim template, supporting guidance and employee fact sheet have been developed and it is currently being piloted with a number of practices/contractors across the FPS sector.
  • If the pilot process successfully allows HSCB to launch the process out to the wider contractor groups without further delay, our intention is to role this out to practices/contractors beginning week commencing 1 November 2021, to work toward a potential payment to contractors on 23 December 2021.

ACTION

  • Contractors are asked to review the correspondence and ensure all pharmacy staff eligible for the recognition payment are made aware of this update.
  • Contractors are asked to ensure they have their template submitted in line with the deadlines highlighted in the documentation that will be issued.
  • Contractors are advised to attend training sessions designed to provide additional support, which are initially planned for 3-4 November 2021 between 7-9pm.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive