Archives: Contractor Email

Dear Colleague

Deliveries – COVID-19 Update 

Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak community pharmacies have been inundated with requests for prescription deliveries. Today saw a further huge spike in requests from the public due to the announcement on Government Shielding made yesterday. CPNI understands that the advice to shield is likely to apply to between 40,000 to 50,000 patients in Northern Ireland. We understand that community pharmacies will not be in a position to manage all of this new demand. 

Northern Ireland arrangements for the delivery of prescription medicines during the COVID period are still being worked through. A number of options remain on the table one of which includes a delivery service specification drafted by CPNI, we await further discussion with HSCB and DoH. 

In order to try manage the demand for deliveries in the meantime I would urge community pharmacy teams to check if patients/carers can, as an initial step, try to make their own arrangements by asking a family member, or trusted friend, neighbour or member of a support group who may be offering services locally e.g. e.g. church groups, sports groups etc. 

There will be instances where there is no alternative to the pharmacy delivering the medicines and pharmacies are advised to review delivery arrangements and SOPs to ensure these are updated to manage COVID-related risks. 

I will provide further information as soon as the arrangements for Northern Ireland are clarified by the HSCB and Department later this week. 

Please advise your pharmacy teams accordingly. 

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

Yours sincerely

SENT FOR AND BEHALF OF GERARD GREENE | Chief Executive

Dear Colleague,

RE: GP and COVID-19

Update Community Pharmacy Prescription Ordering and Collection Updated Arrangements

New arrangements were worked up with BMA, HSCB and CPNI over the weekend to improve prescription ordering and collection processes at the Community Pharmacy-GP interface.

These will be communicated to GP practices today, Monday 23rd March 2020.

The new arrangements include the following:-

  1. GP Practice Arrangements
  • Dedicated phone numbers to be provided by GP practices to community pharmacies
  • GP practices to facilitate access to the surgery for collection of prescriptions by pharmacies
  • GP practices to advise patients/carers the preference is for repeat prescriptions to be collected by nominated pharmacies and for patients/carers to allow 48-72 hours for the pharmacy to dispense the medicines
  • GP practices to seek which pharmacy the patient/carer prefers
  • GP practices to advise that contact telephone number for patient/carer should be given to allow the pharmacy the option of contacting the patient/carer when the prescription items are ready to collect from pharmacy
  • GP practices to include patient/carer contact telephone number on prescription
  • GP practices to facilitate collection of acute prescriptions  from surgery by patient/carer
  • Policy change around one month supply is being considered therefore practice may issue 28/56 day prescriptions (certain circumstances may be longer e.g. contraceptives) – this may change following further discussion on Monday

2. Pharmacy Arrangements

  1. Pharmacy to collect prescriptions and liaise with practice through dedicated phone line
  2. Pharmacy opening will be from 10am to 1pm. Closed for lunch, cleaning and restock from 1pm to 2pm. The opening hours may reduce further due to self-isolation of staff, so local flexibility will be required
  3. Repeats – Pharmacy may contact patient/carer when prescription items are ready for collection provided the patient/carer contact telephone number has been included on the prescription form, Pharmacy to be available for dispensing walk-in acutes during opening hours, but significant queuing times will be inevitable
  4. Pharmacy to provide complete prescription if possible for 1 month or 2 month. Pharmacy may restrict supply to one month supply should excess prescription volume have been ordered and submit form for payment. Patient/carer to be advised to reorder after 3 weeks – as noted above, this may be more strictly regulated in coming days

It is acknowledged that in these extraordinary times closer working between the primary care providers will help manage the workload being faced in primary care at present. It will be important for pharmacies and GP surgeries to work closely at a locality level in operationalising these new arrangements. We are aware that a number of GP practices will become nominated COVID Centres, therefore further contingency measures are anticipated over the coming days.

To help you to manage patients queues, there are a number of queue management mobile Apps available which contractors are reporting to be useful.

Please advise your pharmacy teams accordingly.

The CPNI team is collaborating closely with the HSCB and DoH, we understand HSCB plans to issue a communication to the network today or tomorrow which should provide some further detail on these and other points.

CPNI office remains open to provide any advice and support to contractors, please do not hesitate contact the office on 028 9069 0444.

Yours sincerely

SENT FOR AND BEHALF OF GERARD GREENE | Chief Executive

Dear Colleague,

Please find attached a letter being HSCB today in relation to the Opioid Substitution Treatment service from community pharmacies.

Kind regards,

SENT FOR AND BEHALF OF GERARD GREENE | Chief Executive

Download

Dear Colleague,

Further concessionary prices have been granted for March 2020:

Drug Pack Size Concessionary Price
Amiloride 5mg tablets 28 £27.50
Clonidine 25microgram tablets 112 £14.44
Co-careldopa 25mg/100mg tablets 100 £12.88
Cyanocobalamin 50microgram tablets 50 £9.84
Desmopressin 200microgram tablets 30 £22.70
Esomeprazole 20mg gastro-resistant capsules 28 £2.42
Fluoxetine 10mg capsules 30 £46.70
Fluoxetine 60mg capsules 30 £6.99
Lamotrigine 25mg dispersible tablets sugar free 56 £7.74
Meloxicam 7.5mg tablets 30 £3.15
Meloxicam 15mg tablets 30 £5.80
Perindopril erbumine 4mg tablets 30 £4.30
Pizotifen 1.5mg tablets 28 £5.35
Ranitidine 150mg tablets 60 £7.32
Ranitidine 300mg tablets 30 £6.80
Tacrolimus 0.1% ointment 30g £18.20
Tolterodine 1mg tablets 56 £22.80
Tolterodine 2mg tablets 56 £23.99
Venlafaxine 75mg tablets 56 £14.22

Kind regards,

Katherine

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

Dear Colleague,

COVID-19 Community Pharmacy Social Media Cards

CPNI has prepared a selection of community pharmacy social media cards with COVID -19 specific messages which contractors can add to their social media channels. In addition to CPNI’s ongoing print and broadcast media activity, these resources are to help the public fully appreciate the pressurised environment the network is working in. These include messages calling for their assistance in reducing the risk of transmission of COVID-19 and asking for patience when they visit a pharmacy.

I have attached a selection, but all the cards can be accessed by downloading this link: https://wetransfer.com/downloads/b8edbfd5bee1253055a141b05a30f97420200317154135/d79fbd3de790f4e95d7e9a557961987820200317154137/eb265b

To help increase the reach of these messages, I would ask you to please share these cards with all your staff members. Just in the last few days, contractors and pharmacy teams have helped to share these resources and associated news pieces extensively on social media.

Thank-you.

Yours sincerely

SENT FOR AND BEHALF OF GERARD GREENE | Chief Executive

Download

Dear Colleague,

Peter Rice, CPNI Vice Chair and I briefed the Northern Ireland Health Committee yesterday on community pharmacy’s response to COVID 19.

It was an opportunity to update committee members on the extreme and unrelenting pressures community pharmacy teams are experiencing on a daily basis and to highlight some of the measures you have implemented to help continue the safe supply of medicines to the public.

You can listen again here – It begins at 1:13:24.

Yours sincerely

SENT FOR AND BEHALF OF GERARD GREENE | Chief Executive