Archives: Contractor Email

**FAO LIVING WELL PHARMACIES ONLY**
Dear Contractor
SPPG issued correspondence on 24 November 2025 regarding the Living Well Service.

SUMMARY

  • The ‘How are you feeling’ campaign will commence on 1 December 2025 and will run for two months.
  • The campaign aims to encourage people to look after their mental health and take the five steps to wellbeing.
  • The posters, leaflets and campaign briefing for ‘How are you feeling’ will be delivered to community pharmacies by 26 November 2025, unless arranged otherwise.
  • Note: The resources will arrive in a box and will be labelled as follows:
  • If you have not received your campaign resource pack by 26 November 2025, please email reception.pha@hscni.net by no later than 3 December 2025 using the subject heading  “LIVING WELL PHARMACY CAMPAIGN”.
  • Note: This is for replacement and not additional supplies as resources for the campaign are limited.
  • Living Well posters should be displayed in at least one window unit of the pharmacy. Rotation of the supplied posters can occur over the campaign period.
  • PHA will release social media posts to support the campaign. Community pharmacies can share these on their social media channels, such as Facebook, X and Instagram, using the hashtags #LivingWell, #LookAfterYourMentalHealth and #MindingYourHead.
  • Downloadable resources are available at https://bso.hscni.net/living-well.
  • Training resources for this campaign are detailed in the campaign briefing.
  • A requirement for the Living Well service is to complete an online survey for each campaign. Further information on this can be found in the letter.
  • Living Well survey opening and closing dates have been added to the BSO 2025 calendar provided to all contractors.
  • Reminder: The fourth campaign for 25/26 ‘Stay well this winter‘ will finish on 30 November 2025.  The survey will open on 1 December 2025 at 9am and will close 12 January 2026 at 6pm.
  • For those participating in the TARGET Antibiotic Checklist Brief Intervention service: 
    • Participating pharmacies are required complete 25 intervention checklists by 30th November 2025.
    • The deadline for submitting the 25 TARGET checklists is 12 January 2026 at 6pm.
    • Completed checklists must be uploaded via the online form available here.

ACTION

  • Contractors are asked to read the correspondence issued by SPPG on 24 November 2025 regarding the Living Well Service and share with all relevant members of the team.
  • Contractors participating in the TARGET brief intervention service are asked to note the relevant completion and submission dates referred to above.

Please contact CPNI offices if you have any questions in relation to this correspondence.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive

Dear Contractor

You will be aware from our previous contractor update of 7 October 2025 (CU#251007A) that the Northern Ireland Cyber Security Centre (NICSC) released the first and second videos in its Cyber Awareness series, focusing on Phishing Awareness and on Password Security Best Practices.

NICSC has released the third short video in the series, focusing on Data Protection.

📺 Watch the video here: Data Protection | Biteable
⏱️ Duration: Approximately 2.5 minutes

Action

Contractors are asked to:

  • Note the short videos issued by NICSC on three very topical issues; and
  • Share these with relevant members of the pharmacy team and encourage them to take a moment to watch them.

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 provider, PMR system provider and in line with Data Protection legislation.

Kind regards

Mike

SENT ON BEHALF OF
PROF MIKE MAWHINNEY
Head of Regulatory Affairs

Dear Contractor
The Department of Health NI issued correspondence here dated 21 November 2025, extending the expiry dates of SSP060 and SSP061 for Creon® 10,000 and 25,000 gastro-resistant capsules to Friday 16 January 2026.

BACKGROUND

  • SSPs made under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 are an additional tool to manage and mitigate medicines shortages.
  • SSPs enable community pharmacists to supply specified medicines in accordance with a protocol rather than a prescription, without needing to seek authorisation from the prescriber – saving time for patients, pharmacists and prescribers.
  • Pharmacists should refer to the latest versions of the existing SSPs which are now available on the Business Services Organisation dedicated page on its website HERE.
  • Operational guidance on the implementation of SSPs in Northern Ireland can be found on the BSO website HERE.

ACTION

Contractors should:

  • Review the letter here dated 21 November 2025, and ensure that their dispensary teams are aware of the extension of the expiry dates of SSP060 and SSP061 to Friday 16 January 2026, and of the specific details relating to these SSPs;
  • Note guidance relating to the decision pathways for SSPs; notification of GPs; the need for patient/carer agreement, and action to take when this is not given; professional judgement; and actions regarding unclear quantities.

Contractors are reminded of information issued by BSO ‘Serious Shortage Protocols: Submission Information for Contractors’ which can be accessed here.

Contractors should contact their local SPPG office in the first instance should further information be required. CPNI colleagues are also available for assistance.

Kind regards

Mike

SENT ON BEHALF OF
PROF MIKE MAWHINNEY
Head of Regulatory Affairs

This update contains important information for community pharmacy teams.

CPNI ALERTS

DOH(NI) ALERTS

BSO ALERTS

Pharmacy team(s) can keep updated via CPNI’s Contractor Calendar and Contractor Emails.

Or report medicine shortages, pricing and staffing issues via CPNI’s Medicine Pricing/Supply Reporter and Situation Reporter.

Please bring this to the attention of your pharmacy team(s).

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
Gerard Greene
Chief Executive

Dear Colleague,

NICPLD is planning the live education programme for April 2026 onwards, and NICPLD needs your input, and that of your community pharmacists and technicians to ensure that it meets the learning needs of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians across NI.

You can do this by completing the NICPLD learning needs assessment here.

By sharing your views on preferred topics and delivery methods, you will help NICPLD to create a more tailored and effective live programme to support the pharmacy workforce next year.

The learning needs assessment survey will only take a few minutes to complete and will remain open until 30 November 2025.

Action:

CPNI is encouraging Contractors, community pharmacists and technicians to complete the NICPLD learning needs assessment survey – the feedback provided will directly shape the NICPLD live education opportunities available next year.

Yours sincerely,

SENT ON BEHALF OF
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive
Dear Colleague
The second update of concessionary prices were granted today for November 2025:
DrugPack SizeConcessionary Price
Amiodarone 100mg tablets28£4.30
Bumetanide 1mg tablets28£2.56
Clotrimazole 500mg pessaries1£5.34
Co-codamol 30mg/500mg tablets30£1.35
Co-codamol 30mg/500mg tablets100£4.49
Fluticasone 400microgram/unit dose nasal drops30£26.90
Irbesartan 150mg tablets28£1.63
Oxybutynin 5mg tablets56£3.90
Oxytetracycline 250mg tablets28£25.27
Paracetamol 500mg effervescent tablets100£5.80
Tolterodine 4mg modified-release capsules28£25.78

Concessionary prices will be paid against the usual code, no additional endorsements are needed.

Please continue to notify CPNI of any pricing issues you are experiencing via our Medicine Pricing/Supply Reporter.

Concessionary prices are also published on the CPNI website.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive