Archives: Contractor Email

Dear Colleague,

HSCB £4.75m Community Pharmacy Staff Funding – Reminder to complete and return the Appendix A Declaration to HSCB by Tuesday 10th November 2020

I write to remind you to complete and submit Appendix A, contained within the £4.75m Staff funding allocation letter from Joe Brogan dated 27th October 2020, to HSCB offices on or before Tuesday 10th November 2020 so that HSCB can process the payment(s) to the pharmacy(-ies) you operate.

Please ensure that a separate Appendix A form is completed and submitted to HSCB for each pharmacy you operate.

You will be aware that in order to avail of the funding you will have to complete and retain an outline plan, Appendix B to the letter, summarising how you intend to utilise the funding to support the continued delivery of pharmacy services for the period up to March 2021.

The following may assist you in drafting the plan for each of the pharmacies you operate:-

  • Review and identify the increased staff costs you incurred in the period July 2020 to date.
  • Consider the additional staff costs you identified for the period March 2020 – June 2020 and which were included in the Staff Funding Assurance return that you submitted to HSCB in June. These can be used to benchmark the range and quantum of additional staff costs that you might reasonably anticipate incurring through to March 2021.
  • Consider the attached CPNI Assurance Template Factsheet to identify any other additional staff cost elements that may be relevant to the pharmacy(-ies) you operate.

Upon completion, Appendix B should be retained so that you can use it in the follow-up Staff Funding Assurance process that HSCB will undertake in due course.

In summary

  • Complete and return Appendix A for each pharmacy you operate to HSCB on or before 10th November 2020.
  • Complete and retain Appendix B for each pharmacy you operate for future reference and use.

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

Contact Details for Local Integrated Care Offices:    

Yours sincerely

SENT FOR AND BEHALF OF GERARD GREENE | Chief Executive

Download

*** FOR THE ATTENTION OF CONTRACTORS PROVIDING FLU VACCINATION SERVICE FOR HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE WORKERS ONLY ***

Dear Colleague

COMMUNITY PHARMACY SEASONAL FLU VACCINATION SERVICE (CPFV) – PAYMENT MONITORING AND ACTIVITY DATES

Please find attached for your attention, correspondence from Joe Brogan, Assistant Director of Integrated Care, Head of Pharmacy and Medicines Management.

If there are any queries in relation to payment for the CPFV service, please contact Gail Carland at the Pharmaceutical Payments department at BSO Tel: 028 9536 3846, Email: Gail.Carland@hscni.net.

Yours sincerely

SENT FOR AND BEHALF OF GERARD GREENE | Chief Executive

Download

Dear Colleague,

Further Call for Return of Unused Oxygen Cylinders

HSCB colleagues have again asked us to urge all community pharmacies to return any oxygen cylinders that are not in use to BOC.  This would include any cylinders from patients’ homes that are no longer required.  We appreciate it is difficult for community pharmacy to know what cylinders may be in patients’ homes, but if you can remind patients to return any of their cylinders it would be greatly appreciated at this challenging time. 

As with any patient returns at this time, caution should be taken when accepting returns, and appropriate decontamination measures should be taken.  We have attached the poster (previously circulated in March) to this email, you may wish to display this in your pharmacy.

Any assistance you can provide would be welcomed to support ongoing work to deal with the COVID-19 situation.  

Yours sincerely

SENT FOR AND BEHALF OF GERARD GREENE | Chief Executive

Download

Dear Colleague

ACTIONS IN EVENT OF CLOSURES AND SUBMISSION OF SIT-REPS

Please find attached for your attention, correspondence from Joe Brogan, Assistant Director of Integrated Care, Head of Pharmacy and Medicines Management.

Yours sincerely

SENT FOR AND BEHALF OF GERARD GREENE | Chief Executive

Download

Dear Colleague

REMINDER – PROVISION OF OXYGEN THERAPY TO NEW PATIENTS IN CARE HOME SETTINGS

Please find attached for your attention, correspondence from Joe Brogan, Assistant Director of Integrated Care, Head of Pharmacy and Medicines Management.

Yours sincerely

SENT FOR AND BEHALF OF GERARD GREENE | Chief Executive

Download

Dear contractor

EU Exit

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