Archives: Contractor Email

Dear Colleague

Please find HERE an important update regarding a change to eligible cohorts from Kathryn Turner Pharmacy Lead, HSCB.

Summary of Eligible Cohorts for the CPCVS (from 31 March 2021)

  • Individuals aged 45 years and over (born on or before 31March 1976)
  • Health and social care workers (aged 18 or over)
  • Clinically extremely vulnerable individuals (aged 18 years or over, must have shielding letter)

Please note that the community pharmacy service can no longer vaccinate individuals with underlying health conditions (aged 18 to 64) which put them at higher risk of disease or mortality unless they are eligible under an alternative cohort.

All community pharmacies are encouraged to have robust eligibility verification processes in place to ensure that only eligible patients receive a vaccination*. Proof of eligibility should be requested prior to vaccination, this is required by all COVID-19 vaccination providers.

*see Service Specification for reserve list exceptionality.

Proof of Eligibility

  • Patient Identification/Age – Photographic ID with Date of Birth.
  • Registered with GP in NI – confirmation via Vaccine Management System or pharmacy PMR.
  • Health and social care worker – letter or official ID confirming employment.
  • Clinically extremely vulnerable individuals – shielding letter.

While encouraging vaccination within eligible cohorts, please take every opportunity to reiterate this key message:

We would ask the public to be patient and only book an appointment if you fall within an eligible cohort, if you book an appointment and you are not eligible your appointment will be cancelled.

Should you require any further support please contact either your HSCB Local Office or CPNI Office for advice.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive

Dear Colleague

Following the Contractor meeting held last night, Tuesday 30 March 2021,  I write to provide additional information to assist Contractors and pharmacy team members with setting-up your SimplyBook.Me (SBM) Vaccine Booking Systems (VBS). The SBM COVID-19 Vaccine Booking Platform User Guide contains all the key information that you will require and it should be made available to pharmacy staff involved in the set-up and maintenance of your SBM VBS. All Pharmacy staff involved in the set-up and on-going use of the SBM VBS should be familiar with the contents of the manual and the SBM VBS platform.

Key immediate next steps for Contractors and their key SBM VBS pharmacist(s) are:

  • Ensure that you have received the login details for your booking platform from SimplyBook.Me. If not, please check your Spam/Junk folder in case it has inadvertently been placed there. In the event of not having received the email from SimplyBook.Me or if the link to your platform is no longer valid please contact Irene at SimplyBook.Me to rectify this using the following email address irina@notando.is.
  • Please refer to the User Guide to help you and your key pharmacy VBS pharmacist(s) to complete the following important priority set-up stages before your platform is made available online.
    • Ensure your VBS platform is updated to contain the correct Pharmacy address and contact details for each pharmacy. [page 6 User Guide]
    • Amend the listed opening hours for each pharmacy on the SBM VBS [page 10 User Guide].
    • Amend the Vaccination Booking Calendar to suit the appointment schedule you will be offering from each pharmacy [page 7 User Guide]
    • Update the text disclaimer section on the public facing landing page [page 11 User Guide]. Suggested text is included below and you are advised to cut & paste this into the relevant settings set-up box.

Suggested text for the ‘text disclaimer section’ on the public facing landing page.

‘Members of the public will ONLY receive the COVID vaccination from the pharmacy if they fall into one of the eligible cohorts of patients as approved by the Department of Health – see cohorts HERE.

The pharmacy is required to carry out patient eligibility checks and patient health checks prior to any vaccine being administered.

If you proceed to make an appointment and you are unable to provide proof of eligibility to receive the vaccine the Pharmacy will NOT be able to administer the vaccine to you and the Pharmacy reserves the right to release your booking.

Please note that ONLY patients registered with a GP in Northern Ireland can be vaccinated under the NI COVID-19 Vaccination Programme.’

CPNI will continue to provide you with resources and assistance in relation to the Community Pharmacy COIVID Vaccination Service and the SimplyBook.Me Vaccine Booking system.

Please do not hesitate to contact CPNI offices should you require additional information or assistance.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive

Dear Colleague

The following concessionary prices have been granted for March 2021:

DrugPack SizePrice
Etoricoxib 60mg tablets28£14.54
Etoricoxib 90mg tablets28£17.99
Lamotrigine 200mg tablets56£5.26
Naftidrofuryl 100mg capsules84£7.85
Pregabalin 150mg capsules56£3.70
Pregabalin 300mg capsules56£6.67
Repaglinide 1mg tablets90£11.76
Repaglinide 2mg tablets90£11.76
Sulfasalazine 500mg gastro-resistant tablets112£19.30
Sulfasalazine 500mg tablets112£17.23
Trimethoprim 100mg tablets28£2.23
Trimethoprim 200mg tablets6£1.83
Trimethoprim 200mg tablets14£4.26
Venlafaxine 75mg modified-release tablets30£4.50

This is the 3rd Final Update of concessionary prices for March 2021.

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.

Kinds regards, stay safe – Gareth

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

Dear Contractor

As you will be aware, CPNI has been updating you on measures that contractors could take to upgrade the security of sensitive data held in community pharmacies.

The latest information sheet from the Cyber Crime Centre highlights a new service on offer to local organisations.

The Cyber Action Plan is a service aimed at Micro Businesses (those with under 10 employees) and will provide a personalised list of actions designed to help improve your cyber security.  It involves you responding to a series of questions which will then prompt a tailor-made action plan for your business.

This takes only a few minutes, could enhance greatly your cyber security and can be accessed via this link.

ACTION

Contractors are advised to:

  1. Note previous CPNI correspondence on cyber security; and
  2. Consider using the Cyber Action Plan tool attached.

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 up to date on cyber security matters.

Regards – Mike

SENT ON BEHALF OF Prof. Mike Mawhinney 
Head of Regulatory Affairs

Dear Colleague

We’ve been notified that SimplyBook.Me had to carry out some e-site maintenance yesterday.

In the event that you have already carried out the necessary changes to your pharmacies’ address details, opening hours and booking calendars, (as advised in Tuesdays CPNI CU#194) and your booking platform has been made available online you may need to reactivate your pharmacies on your group VBS system.

To do this, and to add the pharmacy locations to the geolocation widget for your group, please navigate to Marketing suite (left side menu) // Settings // Add company to the Booking page.

Please note – you are advised to not make your VBS available online at this point unless you have made the necessary premises address, booking calendar & opening hours amendments.

Please do not hesitate to contact CPNI offices should you require any additional information at this stage. 

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive

Reminder Contractor Meeting for Pharmacy Teams using the SimplyBook.Me (SBM) Vaccine Booking System (VBS) – Tuesday 30 March @ 7.30pm, via Zoom

Dear Colleague

We remind you that CPNI are holding a Contractor meeting tonight Tuesday 30 March 2021 via Zoom to provide you and your teams with important pharmacy user information about your SimplyBook.Me online Vaccine Booking System.

ZOOM login details are as follows: 

I look forward to seeing many of you this evening.

Please do not hesitate to contact CPNI offices should you require any additional information at this stage. 

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive