Archives: Contractor Email

Sent to Participating Pharmacies Only

Dear Colleague,

The email below was recently issued by HSCB to all community pharmacies who participated in the flu vaccination pilot service last year.  I have attached the list of pharmacies who participated. The closing date for completion of the survey is 30th June 2020 and can we encourage all pilotpharmacies to complete the survey.  This will be particularly important as we seek to potentially develop flu vaccination services in community pharmacy this year.

Your support is greatly appreciated.

Kind regards,

SENT FOR AND BEHALF OF GERARD GREENE | Chief Executive

HSCB email to participating pharmacies on 9th June 2020 ……….
  We would like to thank you for taking part in the Community Pharmacy Flu Vaccine (CPFV) pilot service which enabled a large number of frontline Healthcare workers to receive the seasonal flu vaccine from community pharmacies across the Western LCG area. The CPFV pilot service ended on  31st March 2020.   As part of the CPFV pilot service, the Medicines Optimisation Information Centre (MOIC) are evaluating the service. This requires the pharmacies that participated in the pilot, to complete a pharmacist evaluation survey. The survey can be accessed at https://consultations.nidirect.gov.uk/hsc-northern-health-social-care-trust/75970933 and is available for completion now. It will only take 10 minutes to complete and will have a closing date of 30TH June 2020. Your feedback is important to us and is vital for HSCB to inform commissioning decisions for future service development. We would therefore encourage you to complete the survey.

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Dear Contractor

Epidyolex: Advanced Notice of a Forthcoming Amendment to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations (NI) 2002

The Department of Health has issued advanced notice of an amendment to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations (NI) 2020 which is expected to come into force on 24 June 2020 (see attached).

Summary

The letter indicates that:

Epidyolex, a cannabis-based medicine, will be rescheduled from S2 to the Regulations to S5 under a specified definition.

The recommended definition for Epidyolex within S5 to the Regulations is as follows:

A liquid formulation—

(a) containing cannabidiol obtained by extraction and purification from cannabis;

(b) where the concentration of –

  1. delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol is not more than 0.1 milligram per millilitre; and
  2. cannabidiol is 95-105 milligrams per millilitre;

(c) which is presented in a bottle, as an oral solution for oral administration; and

(d) which was approved for marketing by the European Commission on 19th September 2019.

Contractors are reminded that Epidyolex is licensed for treatment of specific conditions (see letter for details), and that the rescheduling of Epidyolex from S2 to S5 means that it will become exempt from most of the requirements for controlled drugs such as register, prescription and safe custody requirements. 

Action

Contractors should:

  • Familiarise their dispensing teams with the proposed amendments

CPNI colleagues will continue to support contractors and their staff as these changes roll out

Kind regards

Mike

Sent on behalf of Prof Mike Mawhinney | Head of Regulatory Affairs

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Dear Colleague,

The following concessionary prices have been granted for June 2020:

Drug Pack Size Concessionary Price
Duloxetine 40mg gastro-resistant capsules 56 £9.72
Estradiol 1mg tablets 84 £6.89
Estradiol 2mg tablets 84 £6.89
Imipramine 25mg tablets 28 £5.95
Lamotrigine 100mg dispersible tablets sugar free 56 £8.99
Lamotrigine 25mg dispersible tablets sugar free 56 £4.95
Lymecycline 408mg capsules 28 £5.80
Pseudoephedrine hydrochloride 60mg tablets 100 £9.38
Tetracycline 250mg tablets 28 £4.82
Trihexyphenidyl 2mg tablets 84 £7.58
Valaciclovir 500mg tablets 10 £20.59

This is the first update of concessionary prices for June 2020.

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.

Concessionary prices are also published on the CPNI website www.communitypharmacyni.co.uk

Kind regards,

Katherine

SENT FOR AND BEHALF OF KATHERINE KIDD | Head of Pharmacy Development

Dear Colleague,

By now you will have received the attached letter dated 2nd June 2020 from HSCB in relation to community pharmacy funding assurance.  A number of payments have been made to community pharmacy contractors since the COVID-19 response was initiated.  It is understandable that HSCB have to seek assurances around the use of public funds as all spending is subject to scrutiny from auditors.  In order to gain assurances from community pharmacy there are two templates to be completed and returned to local HSCB offices by FRIDAY 19TH JUNE 2020.

These payments relate to £2.5m paid towards premises modifications from March to May 2020 and £5m paid towards staff pressures from March to June 2020.

It may be helpful for you to know when these payments were made so you can work out the exact amount you were paid from the payment report information that was sent to you by BSO.

The £2.5m premises modifications payment was made on 3rd April 2020 by BACS.  This was the full amount towards premises modifications.

£1m was paid towards staff pressures on 3rd April 2020 by BACS.

The remaining £4m for staff pressures was paid on the 30th April 2020 with your BSO payments (for March prescriptions).

CPNI have also drafted a factsheet outlining some of the factors you may wish to consider when completing your template form.  This list is not exhaustive and there may be other factors you wish to include.  Some points have been included under both premises and staff pressures.  Each contractor will know which category to specifically allocate their own costs.

I trust you find this helpful.

Yours sincerely

SENT FOR AND BEHALF OF GERARD GREENE | Chief Executive

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Dear Colleague,

A late concessionary price has been released for MAY 2020 and is as follows:

Drug Pack Size Concessionary Price
Ranitidine 150mg Tablets 60 £7.32

Kind regards,

Katherine

SENT FOR AND BEHALF OF KATHERINE KIDD | Head of Pharmacy Development

Dear Colleague,

I write to inform you of the sad news that our esteemed friend and colleague, Lindsay Gracey passed away late yesterday afternoon in hospital.

Many of you will have known Lindsay through his work as a community pharmacist in his native Ballymena, a Director on the Board of CPNI and in his role as Chairman of CPNI between 2010 – 2013.  Lindsay’s dedication and contribution to his local community and the profession was clear to all those who knew him and his commitment and enthusiasm for the profession knew no bounds.

He will be dearly missed by everyone whose lives he touched, none more so than those closest to him and our thoughts and prayers are with Gillian and the family at this sad time.

Yours sincerely

SENT FOR AND BEHALF OF GERARD GREENE | Chief Executive