For the attention of all community pharmacies who are contracted to provide the Pharmacy First Sore Throat Service Winter 24/25
Dear Contractor
SPPG have issued correspondence on 14 January 2025 regarding the Pharmacy First Sore Throat Service Winter 2024/25.
SPPG have confirmed that the service will be extended until 31 March 2025.
Pharmacies may wish to promote the service on social media platforms using the resources available on the BSO website.
All resources including the service specification, PGDs, and consultation forms can also be accessed on the BSO website.
Please contact your Pharmacy Advisor at SPPG offices if you have any further queries.
Kind regards
SENT ON BEHALF OF GERARD GREENE Chief Executive
Dear Contractor,
The following changes, announced in the Autumn budget, will impact considerably Community Pharmacy payroll costs from April 2025:
Minimum Wage:
1. The minimum wage for over 21s, known as the National Living Wage, will increase by 6.7%, from £11.44 to £12.21 from 1 April 2025. 2. For 18- to 20-year-olds, the minimum wage will increase from £8.60 to £10.00. 3. Apprentices will also see a wage increase, from £6.40 to £7.55 an hour.
National Insurance:
4. Employer National Insurance contributions (currently 13.8%) are to increase to 15% from April 2025. 5. The salary threshold where employer National Insurance contributions begin will be reduced to £5,000 per year. 6. The Employment Allowance for small businesses will be increased from £5,000 to £10,500.
CPNI’s initial estimate indicates approximately £10m additional cost impact for the community pharmacy sector next year. We have advised SPPG accordingly and are seeking mitigations against these cost increases. You will also be aware of joint representations having been made by CPNI-BDA-BMA-ONI on this matter ( CPNI CU#241202B). SPPG and DoH(NI) also recognise that significant changes to National Living Wage (NLW) and National Minimum Wage (NMW) arrangements from 1st April 2025 obligate community pharmacies to review and increase all staff salary/wages from April 2025 and we have been asked by SPPG for assistance in obtaining information from contractors on the impact of the above budget changes on sector payroll costs in 2025/26.
Many of you will have linked with your payroll and/or accountancy advisors to establish the cost impact for you next year and your assistance is therefore sought in relation to providing the anticipated monetary impact of the following payroll costs in 2025/26 for your pharmacy business:
1. Total increased salary/payroll costs anticipated in 2025/26 compared to the current year. The impact of the E’er NIC changes referred to above should also be provided. 2. The number of pharmacy staff that this relates to. 3. The percentage of the increased costs that relate to staff with any NHS related activity. 4. The number of pharmacies to which the information relates to.
We previously gathered information relating to the periods 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24 payroll/tax years. Can we ask that you also include the 2024/25 costs alongside the anticipated 2025/26 costs?
If possible, can you provide an estimate of your payroll (Salary/pension/E’er NIC) cost increases between 2023/24 and 2024/25 to demonstrate the impact of the April 2024 NMW/NLW changes (including the impact those changes had on the payroll cost increases for other higher paid staff members)?
Additional pension contribution costs will also be required in due course given that increased pension costs are also a natural consequence of NMW/NLW increases.
As indicated above your payroll and/or accountancy advisors may be able to help you to provide the information we are seeking.
A number of contractors have already linked with CPNI to provide initial information and we acknowledge and appreciate that. We know there are many demands on your time at present but would ask that you try to provide the information listed above to office@communitypharmacyni.co.uk no later than Monday 3rd February 2025.
Any information provided to CPNI will treated as private and confidential, it will be internal to CPNI office staff only and it will be shared only with SPPG in an anonymised and collated format for the purposes outlined above.
Please do not hesitate to contact CPNI office should you need additional information or clarification in relation to this request.
Kind regards,
SENT ON BEHALF OF GERARD GREENE Chief Executive
For the attention of Community Pharmacies providing the Autumn 2024 Seasonal Influenza Community Pharmacy Vaccination Service (CPVS)
Dear Contractor
The PHA have issued correspondence on 14 January 2025 regarding an update on the operational detail of the Autumn Influenza Vaccination Programme 2024/25.
SUMMARY
The Health Minister has approved a policy change to the influenza vaccination cohorts 2024/25, to include those aged 50-64 years for the remainder of the vaccination programme.
The eligible cohorts for the influenza vaccination programme are now confirmed as follows:
All those aged 50 – 64 yrs. **new addition**
All those aged 65 yrs. and over
Care home residents (long stay residential)
Those in clinical risk groups aged 6 months – 64 yrs.
Pregnant women
HSC workers
All pre-school children 2 – 4 yrs
All primary school children
Secondary school children in yrs. 8 – 12
Carers
Close contacts of those immunosuppressed
High-risk poultry and avian animal health workers
The original eligible cohorts should remain a priority over the newly added 50-64 years cohort.
The extension of the influenza vaccination cohorts will commence on 15 January 2025 for the remainder of the programme.
PHA sessional vaccinators remain available to support the administration of the flu vaccine and can be requested by completing the form here.
Those who are healthy and aged 50-64 years should only be vaccinated with QIVc: Flucelvax® Tetra which is in accordance with the PGD.
Those aged 65 years and over are to be vaccinated with aQIV: Fluad Tetra®. Please note: the packaging of aQIV: Fluad Tetra vaccine refers to use in those aged “50 years and older”, however, this vaccine has been procured for the explicit use in those aged 65 years and older as per JCVI advice and in accordance with the PGD.
To manage stock it is important that service providers adhere to ordering advice to make best use of remaining stock and ensure the most vulnerable continue to be able to avail of a vaccine.
VMS has been updated to facilitate the recording of vaccinations for healthy 50 – 64yr olds who do not fall into any other eligibility criteria. Please ensure you record the correct eligibility cohort and vaccine for each patient.
Training materials and the patient information leaflet will be updated to reflect the new cohorts and will be available on the PHA website:
For the attention of Community Pharmacies providing the Autumn 2024 Seasonal Influenza Community Pharmacy Vaccination Service (CPVS)
Dear Contractor
SPPG have issued an update on 13 January 2025 regarding the extension of the seasonal influenza vaccination cohorts 2024/2025.
SUMMARY
From 15 January 2025 and for the remainder of the 2024/25 seasonal influenza vaccination programme, those aged 50-64 years (including those aged 50 by 31 March 2025) have been added to the list of eligible cohorts.
The CMO letter issued 10 January 2025 contains further information and can be accessed here.
The existing PGD is valid for the additional cohort, please note: QIVc is the recommended vaccine to be used for those aged 50-64 years.
Private vaccination details should NOT be added to VMS.
There has been a renewed call to promote the flu vaccination to all those who are eligible, and the CPVS is being promoted through a press release and HSCNI social media. This includes information on how to locate a participating pharmacy.
Pharmacy teams are encouraged to promote these messages via their own social media channels, and can follow HSCNI at:
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
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