Archives: Contractor Email

*** For the Attention of Pharmacy First Sore Throat Pilot Service Providers ***
Dear Contractor
Important information regarding the Pharmacy First Sore Throat Pilot Service has been issued 12th December by SPPG.

SUMMARY

  • SPPG have issued the following correspondence 12th December 2023.
  • The monthly claim form has been updated and should be used from December 2023 onwards.
  • The claim form is available on the BSO website here.
  • All sections of the claim form should be completed.
  • The data from the claim form will be analysed and may determine future roll out of the pilot service.

ACTION

  • Contractors should read and review the correspondence issued 12th December by SPPG regarding Pharmacy First Sore Throat Pilot Service.
  • Please ensure this update in shared with relevant members of your pharmacy team.
  • The monthly claim form for December 2023 onwards has been updated.
  • All sections of the claim form should be completed and emailed to your local integrated care office for processing and payment.
  • The QR code can be offered to service-users to evaluate the service.
  • Please ensure that all relevant staff have completed the appropriate training to provide the service.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive

Dear Contractor

As you will be aware, a UK-wide public consultation on Pharmacy Supervision has been launched.  The consultation will run for 12 weeks, ending on 29 February 2024 and can be accessed using the following link.

The consultation sets out proposals to amend the Medicines Act 1968 and The Human Medicines Regulations 2012. The proposals are to:

  • enable pharmacists to authorise pharmacy technicians to carry out, or supervise others carrying out, the preparation, assembly, dispensing, sale and supply of medicines;
  • allow pharmacy technicians to take primary responsibility for the preparation, assembly and dispensing of medicinal products in hospital aseptic facilities; and
  • enable pharmacists to authorise any member of the pharmacy team to hand out checked and bagged prescriptions in the absence of a pharmacist.

The first two proposals will not yet apply to Northern Ireland as Pharmacy Technicians are not currently a registered health profession here.  However, the Department of Health (NI) has established project structures to progress the regulation and registration of Pharmacy Technicians in Northern Ireland and make the necessary legislative changes to enable this.  Information on this project work can be found using the following link to the Pharmacy Technician Newsletter which will be updated by the Department on a quarterly basis.

The CPNI team will be drafting a response to this consultation and are happy to take views from contractors or for you to respond directly to the address given in the consultation documents.

The consultation closes on 29 February 2024.

Kind regards

Mike

SENT ON BEHALF OF
PROF MIKE MAWHINNEY
Head of Regulatory Affairs

This update contains important information for community pharmacy teams.

CPNI ALERTS

DOH(NI) ALERTS

BSO ALERTS

MHRA UPDATE

Pharmacy team(s) can keep updated via CPNI’s Contractor Calendar and Contractor Emails.
Or report medicine shortages, pricing and staffing issues via CPNI’s Medicine Shortage Reporter and Situation Reporter.
Please bring this to the attention of your pharmacy team(s).

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
Gerard Greene
Chief Executive
Dear Contractor
Correspondence was issued by SPPG on 08 December 2023 to advise pharmacy contractors that the Community Pharmacy Assurance Framework Visit Guidance has been updated.  The updated guidance can be viewed here.

SUMMARY

  • CPAF consists of an annual declaration completed by each community pharmacy contractor, and a visit undertaken by SPPG staff on a three yearly basis.
  • SPPG have previously advised that visits to Community Pharmacy are recommencing.
  • Pharmacies which haven’t received a visit as part of CPAF will be prioritised first as detailed in this letter issued 9th November 2023.
  • If your pharmacy is selected for a visit you will be contacted by your local office to make the necessary arrangements.

ACTIONS

  • Contractors should note the contents of the updated CPAF Visit Guidance here and share the information with relevant members of the pharmacy team.
  • Further information regarding CPAF can be found on the BSO website here.

Should contractors have any queries regarding CPAF they may wish to contact their local SPPG pharmacy adviser, or alternatively they may contact a member of the CPNI team.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive
REMINDER – This survey will close on Friday 8th December
Dear Contractor
NICPLD have advised CPNI that they have issued an email and a survey link to pharmacists on their records who have successfully completed Independent Prescribing (IP) training.  The survey aims to establish whether these IP pharmacists are currently working in a community pharmacy setting, and if so whether they may be interested in participating in a potential project based on utilising IP skills in the community pharmacy setting and linking with a GP surgery.

SUMMARY

  • The NICPLD survey has been issued to IPs in collaboration with SPPG.
  • NICPLD and SPPG are hoping to establish if there are IP pharmacists currently working in community pharmacies who may be interested in a pathfinder prescribing project.
  • The project is at very early scoping stages and therefore this is an initial enquiry.
  • Further details will be shared with respondents and their employers (pharmacy contractors) in due course.
  • While the details of the project are not yet fully designed, it is likely that the IP pharmacist in a participating pharmacy will establish a link with a local GP practice. Therefore respondents are asked to indicate if there are any practices with which they have strong professional collaborative links.

ACTION

  • Contractors may view the survey, and may wish to bring it to the attention of any IP pharmacists in their team.
  • Note: Community pharmacists who are not IPs and who are interested in the training can view the most up to date information on the NICPLD Website.

Please contact a member of the CPNI team should you have any queries.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive
*** For the Attention of Pharmacy First Sore Throat Pilot Service Providers ***
Dear Contractor
Important information regarding the Pharmacy First Sore Throat Pilot Service has been issued 4th December by SPPG.

SUMMARY

  • SPPG have issued the following correspondence 4th December 2023.
  • Payment of fees will be authorised on completion of the monthly claim form and returning by email to your local integrated care office this week for processing and payment.
  • Evaluation by patients of the service can be done by encouraging service-users to complete the online survey using the QR code attached.

ACTION

  • Contractors should read and review the correspondence issued 4th December regarding Pharmacy First Sore Throat Pilot Service.
  • The monthly claim form for November should be completed and emailed to your local integrated care office this week for processing and payment.
  • The QR code can be offered to service-users to evaluate the service.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive