CPNI
recently represented Northern Ireland contractors at the reconvened Community
Pharmacy Brexit Forum, a UK-wide group which brings together more than 20
organisations across the pharmacy, wholesale and wider primary care sectors, to
discuss Brexit/EU Exit matters. The Northern Ireland Department of Health was
also represented.
The
group was established in preparation for previous Brexit deadlines and is
accelerating its work ahead of the end of the Transition Period on 31 December
2020. The Forum’s aim is to bring together the sector and policy makers,
and ultimately to try to ensure that the community pharmacy sector and patients
are not adversely affected by Brexit/EU Exit.
The
focus of the Forum was medicines supply, with members concerned about the potential
impact of Brexit/EU Exit on patients, particularly with COVID-19 challenges
likely to continue at a time of increased winter pressures.
CPNI
(along with other Forum members) sought greater clarity around supplies of
medicines from the EU and Great Britain to Northern Ireland after 31 December
2020. The need to maintain current prescribing periods on prescriptions ahead
of, and beyond, the end of the Transition period was also highlighted as a
necessary step to reduce the risk of supply disruption.
The
Forum heard from both the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England
& NHS Improvement about the preparations being made to manage any potential
risks to supply and to deal with medicines shortages. There was a
consensus among pharmacy stakeholders that increased communications would help
address patient concerns and expectations, and it was agreed that a
communications group will be convened.
CPNI has also engaged directly with
national and local Department of Health officials in highlighting concerns in
respect of medicines supplies and will continue to work with officials for
urgent and Northern-Ireland specific resolution to these matters.
CPNI will continue to keep
contractors and their teams updated as these matters progress.
Yours sincerely
SENT
FOR AND BEHALF OF GERARD GREENE | Chief Executive
Dear Colleague,
The BSO Cyber Security team in conjunction with the HSC Trusts have reviewed the use of Zoom across the HSC. An enterprise licence has been purchased by the HSC for all Zoom users in the HSC; this enables the most appropriate security settings to be applied to all HSC users of Zoom. Zoom is widely used across Northern Ireland and operates in stand-alone mode and therefore can be used by any Pharmacy.
It is envisaged zoom video conferencing will be invaluable for
service provision through the pandemic, to support patients enrolled on the
Stop Smoking service for example and for Pharmacy First. Over half of
pharmacies in NI have now applied for a HSC Zoom account.
Should you wish to avail of Zoom, please complete and
return the template (appendix 1) which can be found here, providing your HSCNI email address and return to your
local HSCB office.
This information will be used to generate your Zoom account and
you will receive an activation email from Zoom. Instructions on how to
initially activate the Zoom product and how to initiate a meeting can be found here. You can
implement these instructions once you receive the activation email from Zoom.
Please note – you must activate your Zoom account within 30 days of receiving your activation email.If this time period has lapsed you can reapply for a Zoom account from your local office.
Contact Details for Local Integrated Care Offices:
For any queries on signing up for a Zoom account, please contact
your local HSCB office in the first instance or the CPNI office.
Yours sincerely
SENT
FOR AND BEHALF OF GERARD GREENE | Chief Executive
Dear Colleague
You will be aware funding has been secured to enable the
Pharmacy First Winter Ailments service to operate again in community pharmacies
from 2ndNovember 2020 until 31stMarch
2021.
It is important to note that this is still a transitional
service developed specifically to address winter pressures this year. The
Pharmacy First service will continue to be developed incrementally with a
Urinary Tract Infection pilot due to commence later this year. In the future
the e-pharmacy workstream will provide the infrastructure required to support a
full Pharmacy First Service based on a patient registration model.
The following service resources are available, on the dedicated
Pharmacy First webpage on CPNI’s website, available here.
Service specification 20/21
Service guide for community pharmacists 20/21
Service Contract 20/21 – this should be signed and returned via email to your local HSCB office before you commence the service
Privacy notice template
Advice sheet for sore throat and common cold
Advice sheet for patients with symptoms of Coronavirus
Pharmacy First Monthly Record Form
In order that HSCB,
CPNI and DoH can continue to work collaboratively to secure funding in the future
for the Pharmacy First Service it is essential that all activity associated
with the service is recorded on the monthly record forms and these are
submitted in a timely manner.
CPNI have produced a 15 minute
Pharmacy First training webinar, which we hope you find useful, available here. It should be used alongside the service specification and
guidance to train all members of the pharmacy team involved in service
delivery.
Printed copies of the service posters will be distributed to
contracted pharmacies. Pharmacies may also wish to promote the Pharmacy First
service on their social media accounts, using the patient information leaflet
available on the BSO website. Pharmacy First communications will be shared on
CPNI’s social media channels, please feel free to share.
If you have any queries in relation to the service please
contact the pharmacy advisor in your local HSCB office or Kerry Grimes in the
CPNI office.
Please share this information with all members of the pharmacy
team involved in Pharmacy First service provision.
Yours sincerely
SENT
FOR AND BEHALF OF GERARD GREENE | Chief Executive
Dear Colleague
HSCB Update on Northern Ireland HSC Trust Dispensing on
Discharge from Hospital
Please find attached for your attention, correspondence from Joe Brogan, Assistant Director of Integrated Care, Head of Pharmacy and Medicines Management, HSCB. Should you require additional information please contact your local HSCB Integrated Care office, details of which are provided below.
Please bring this HSCB correspondence to the attention of the
pharmacists within your dispensary teams.
Yours sincerely
SENT
FOR AND BEHALF OF GERARD GREENE | Chief Executive
Download
Dear
Colleague,
The
final update of concessionary prices for October 2020 have been released
and are as follows:
SENT
FOR AND BEHALF OF KATHERINE KIDD | Head of Pharmacy Development
*** REMINDER *** Closing Date Today Friday 30th October 2020
Dear Colleague,
COMMUNITY PHARMACY INFRASTRUCTURE – FACILITATION OF REMOTE
CONSULTATIONS – HSCB GRANT FUNDING ALLOCATION
Please find attached a HSCB Grant Funding Allocation and declaration/claim form in respect of a mobile tablet device to facilitate remote consultations.
Payment of £800 is available to each community pharmacy contract
upon submission of Appendix A – Grant Application Form to your local HSCB
office and subsequent approval. The closing date for declaration/claim forms is
Friday 30th October 2020.
Yours sincerely
SENT
FOR AND BEHALF OF GERARD GREENE | Chief Executive
Download
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
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
