Archives: Contractor Email

**FAO LIVING WELL PHARMACIES ONLY**
Dear Contractor

SPPG have released an important update regarding the Living Well service. 

SUMMARY

  • Correspondencefrom SPPG for Living Well Pharmacies has been issued 1st December 2023 
  • The ‘Keep Antibiotics Working’ survey is now live and can be accessed by clicking here

ACTION

Please be aware the Living Well Quality Assurance Pilot has started 1st December 2023 and will run until 31st March 2024. Further information can be accessed by reading the letter issued by SPPG.

For any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact CPNI.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive

Dear Contractor

Following an alert from the Northern Ireland Cyber Crime Centre in respect of Quishing, CPNI issued a contractor update on the 3 October 2023 detailing the scam.

The Cyber Crime lead in Northern Ireland has sent another example of such malicious activity (below).

Background

  • Actors send phishing emails containing a pdf or png image of a QR code.  This can reduce the possibility of the email being classed as phishing.
  • As with other phishing campaigns, the recipient is taken to a URL which may be hosting malware or a credential harvesting “sign-in” page.
  • URL redirects from legitimate online providers increase the likelihood of a recipient trusting the link displayed.
  • The requirement to scan a QR code increases the likelihood of a recipient using a personal device outside the web or anti virus protection offered by the organisation.

Action

Contractors are asked to note:

  1. The attached alert from the Cyber Crime Centre, and to ensure that their teams are aware that this is a variation of phishing email scams.
  2. That businesses can obtain advice on safeguarding against phishing attacks at www.ncsc.gov.uk/phishing.
  3. That Cyber Crime can be reported to Action Fraud 24/7 at www.actionfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040.

Further information can be accessed via the links on the Cyber Protect webpage HERE.

Kind regards

Mike

SENT ON BEHALF OF
PROF MIKE MAWHINNEY
Head of Regulatory Affairs

Dear Contractor
The Department of Health NI has issued correspondence here dated 1 December 2023 extending the expiry date of SSP057 Estradot® (estradiol hemihydrate) 100micrograms/24 hour patch, until Friday 8 December 2023.

BACKGROUND

  • SSPs made under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 are an additional tool to manage and mitigate medicines shortages.
  • SSPs enable community pharmacists to supply specified medicines in accordance with a protocol rather than a prescription, without needing to seek authorisation from the prescriber – saving time for patients, pharmacists and prescribers.
  • Pharmacists should refer to the latest versions of the existing SSPs which are now available on the Business Services Organisation dedicated page on its website HERE.
  • Operational guidance on the implementation of SSPs in Northern Ireland can be found on the BSO website HERE.

ACTION

Contractors should:

  • Review the letter here dated 1 December 2023 and ensure that their dispensary teams are aware of the specific details relating to this SSP;
  • Note guidance relating to the decision pathways for SSPs; notification of GPs; the need for patient/carer agreement, and action to take when this is not given; professional judgement; and actions regarding unclear quantities.

Contractors should contact their local SPPG office in the first instance should further information be required.  CPNI colleagues are also available for assistance.

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

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

SPPG issued a letter dated 30th November providing an Update on Community Pharmacy Funding following on from recent CPNI engagement with the Permanent Secretary, DoH(NI) and SPPG officials.  The SPPG letter confirms various funding provisions that will be applied in 2023/24.

In addition to confirming the suspension of Discount Clawback within your November and December 2023 BSO payments, the letter states that SPPG plans to:

  • Re-introduce Discount Clawback for the January 2024 BSO payment (December 2023 prescriptions) and,
  • Take forward new discount clawback arrangements which would remove the sliding scale arrangement and introduce, on a phased basis, three fixed discount rates for generics, appliances and brand medicines, with the February 2024 BSO payment (January 2024 prescriptions).

CPNI has consistently opposed the introduction of new discount arrangements within the context of the current level of funding and Drug Tariff arrangements.

This was a key element within the CPNI response to the 2022 DoH(NI) Consultation on Community Pharmacy Drug Reimbursement Reforms consultation (here) and has been clearly re-stated in recent correspondence to SPPG officials and the DoH(NI) Permanent Secretary (CPNI CU#231124B).

SPPG acknowledges within the letter that CPNI remains opposed to the new discount clawback arrangements.

CPNI continues to express grave reservations to officials about the impact that both the reintroduction of clawback in January 2024 and the planned introduction of proposed new discount clawback arrangements would have on contractors ability to meet wholesaler and business obligations going forward.

These, and other funding issues, will be discussed by Directors at the December CPNI Board meeting.

Further updates will be provided to you on these matters on an on-going basis.

Yours sincerely

SENT ON BEHALF OF
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive
Dear Colleague
The final update of concessionary prices were granted yesterday for November 2023:
DrugPack SizeConcessionary Price
Amisulpride 100mg tablets60£14.94
Azithromycin 250mg capsules6£1.59
Beclometasone 50micrograms/dose nasal spray200£2.60
Betahistine 8mg tablets84£3.80
Betamethasone valerate 0.1% cream100£4.05
Bimatoprost 100micrograms/ml eye drops3£3.95
Bimatoprost 300micrograms/ml / Timolol 5mg/ml eye
drops		3£4.58
Carbocisteine 250mg/5ml oral solution300£7.00
Chlorphenamine 2mg/5ml oral solution sugar free150£4.87
Clarithromycin 125mg/5ml oral suspension70£4.32
Clarithromycin 250mg/5ml oral suspension70£5.65
Co-amoxiclav 250mg/62mg/5ml oral suspension sugar
free		100£2.04
Co-amoxiclav 500mg/125mg tablets21£3.46
Co-codamol 30mg/500mg capsules *100£4.50
Co-codamol 30mg/500mg tablets30£1.20
Co-codamol 30mg/500mg tablets100£4.00
Colecalciferol 1,000unit capsules30£6.31
Cyclizine 50mg tablets100£4.35
Donepezil 5mg tablets28£1.99
Dorzolamide 20mg/ml / Timolol 5mg/ml eye drops5£5.07
Eplerenone 25mg tablets28£6.43
Estradiol 10microgram pessaries24£9.45
Etoricoxib 60mg tablets *28£2.99
Ezetimibe 10mg tablets28£9.44
Fluticasone 400microgram/unit dose nasal drops28£14.92
Frovatriptan 2.5mg tablets6£11.32
Haloperidol 1.5mg tablets28£3.28
Latanoprost 50micrograms/ml / Timolol 5mg/ml eye
drops		2.5£11.76
Lorazepam 500microgram tablets28£20.04
Mebeverine 50mg/5ml oral suspension sugar free300£210.43
Memantine 10mg/ml oral solution sugar free50£24.18
Metoprolol 50mg tablets28£3.24
Midazolam 10mg/2ml solution for injection ampoules10£5.15
Morphine sulfate 10mg/1ml solution for injection
ampoules		10£5.82
Oxycodone 5mg/5ml oral solution sugar free250£9.34
Pantoprazole 40mg gastro-resistant tablets28£3.16
Pyridostigmine bromide 60mg tablets200£23.48
Quinine sulfate 300mg tablets28£3.99
Riluzole 50mg tablets56£216.45
Ropinirole 2mg tablets28£21.56
Ropinirole 500microgram tablets28£15.75
Sitagliptin 100mg/5ml oral solution sugar free150£57.56
Sodium chloride 0.9% nebuliser liquid 2.5ml unit dose
ampoules		20£9.50
Tacrolimus 0.1% ointment30£20.03
Tacrolimus 0.1% ointment60£37.05
Telmisartan 20mg tablets28£3.37

* Please note these lines have had their previous concessionary price granted earlier in the month revised upwards.

Concessionary prices will be paid against the usual code, no additional endorsements are needed.

Please continue to notify CPNI of any pricing issues you are experiencing via our Medicine Shortage Reporter.

Concessionary prices are also published on the CPNI website.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive