Archives: Contractor Email

For the attention of Community Pharmacies providing the Autumn 2023 COVID-19 and Seasonal Influenza Community Pharmacy Vaccine Service (CPVS)
Dear Contractor
SPPG have issued the following communication to all providers of the community pharmacy vaccine service. Please ensure this is shared with relevant members of your pharmacy team.
The PHA have issued a letter advising that all providers should now dispose of all Comirnaty BA.4-5 (Pfizer) vaccine.  Please perform a final check of this quarantined stock to ensure only BA.4-5 vaccines are disposed of.  The stock should be treated as expired stock and as per the CPVS clinical waste guidance document, placed into a purple lidded sharps bin for incineration.

For full details see PHA letter available here.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive
For the attention of Community Pharmacies providing the Autumn 2023 COVID-19 and Seasonal Influenza Community Pharmacy Vaccine Service (CPVS)

Dear Contractor

The following communication was issued today by SPPG to those pharmacies involved in the community pharmacy vaccination service.  Please ensure this information is shared with relevant members of your pharmacy team.

Declaration of Completion of Care Home Vaccinations by 31St October 2023: Claim for additional £200 payment

As per the COVID-CPVS service specification community pharmacies are reimbursed an additional £200 fee where vaccination of residents of a Care Home has been fully completed by 31st October 2023.

To claim this payment contractors should complete the on-line declaration (link below) by 5pm on Friday 3rd November.

https://consultations2.nidirect.gov.uk/hsc/additional-fee-for-completion-of-care-home-vacs

Each of the care home(s) completed by 31st October should be selected from the drop-down list.  Contractors are asked make a single return selecting multiple care homes where required.

If you have any queries relating to this declaration please contact Tom Coyle (Tom.Coyle@hscni.net).
 

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive

This update contains important information for community pharmacy teams.

CPNI ALERTS

 DOH(NI) ALERTS 

BSO ALERTS

  • Weekly Drug Alerts are available here.
  • Weekly Shortages Information is available here.
  • Serious Shortage Protocols are available here.
— R E M I N D E R —

Please ensure that you and relevant members of your pharmacy team are checking your HSC secure email on a regular basis as this is the primary method of communication that SPPG use to share important updates with the network. The 40 pharmacies that have been selected for the Pharmacy First Sore Throat “Test and Treat” Pilot Service will now have been notified via secure email.

Pharmacy team(s) can keep updated via CPNI’s Contractor Calendar and Contractor Emails.

Or report medicine shortages, pricing and staffing issues via the 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

COMMUNITY PHARMACY VACCINE SERVICE UPDATE

For the attention of Community Pharmacies providing the Autumn 2023 COVID-19 and Seasonal Influenza Community Pharmacy Vaccine Service (CPVS): Update Six (20th October)

Dear Contractor

Please see the update below that has been issued today relating to the vaccination service.

1. BA.4-5 vaccines

  • ONLY use Comirnaty XBB.1.5 for COVID-19 CPVS vaccinations, the BA.4-5 is not authorised for further use in Autumn 2023.
  • PHA will shortly provide advice to providers on the next steps for any Comirnaty BA.4-5 (Pfizer) vaccine, still quarantined in pharmacy fridges.

2. Pharmacy Vaccination Delivery

  • Community pharmacies have responded quickly and efficiently in the autumn programme to provide vaccinations for eligible patients after the programme was commenced three weeks earlier than planned.
  • There have been circa 44,000 vaccinations administered by community pharmacy since the start of the autumn campaign.
    • 23k Flu
    • 21k COVID-19

3. REMINDER: Deadline for early vaccination payments is approaching – 31st October 2023

  • PHA are aiming to vaccinate as many eligible patients as possible by 31st  October 2023.
  • Please continue to plan that any outstanding care homes have a vaccination date established on or before 31st October 2023.
  • Supplementary payments for non-care home eligible patients [walk ins] also remain in place until 31st October 2023.
  • The vaccination programme for COVID-19 will continue until early December with standard payments payable for vaccinations administered after the 31st October 2023.

4. VMS entries:

  • Vaccinations should be recorded on VMS within 24 hours.
  • Payments are based on VMS entry for the dates of administration.
  • Are clinical records and should be contemporaneous.
  • Provide assurance to PHA and other agencies on the success of the vaccination programme.
  • Can be edited in the pharmacy to correct any errors.

If you have any queries about the Community Pharmacy Vaccination Service (CPVS) please contact Greg Miller (greg.miller@hscni.net) or Grainne McMahon (Grainne.McMahon4@hscni.net).

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive
Dear Colleague
The second update of concessionary prices were granted today for October 2023:
DrugPack SizeConcessionary Price
Aciclovir 800mg tablets35£3.60
Atorvastatin 80mg tablets28£5.22
Benzoyl peroxide 5% / Clindamycin 1% gel30£11.99
Bimatoprost 100micrograms/ml eye drops3£4.18
Brinzolamide 10mg/ml / Timolol 5mg/ml eye drops5£10.01
Calcipotriol 0.005% / Betamethasone dipropionate
0.05% ointment		30£9.52
Carvedilol 6.25mg tablets28£1.29
Clarithromycin 250mg/5ml oral suspension70£6.22
Clotrimazole 1% cream20£1.93
Co-codamol 30mg/500mg capsules100£4.71
Codeine 30mg tablets28£1.08
Codeine 30mg tablets100£3.86
Docusate 50mg/5ml oral solution sugar free300£18.32
Dorzolamide 20mg/ml / Timolol 5mg/ml eye drops5£4.15
Estradiol 10microgram pessaries24£9.18
Ezetimibe 10mg tablets28£1.65
Hydrocortisone 1% cream15£2.52
Hydroxocobalamin 1mg/1ml solution for injection
ampoules		5£11.33
Lansoprazole 15mg orodispersible tablets28£2.95
Latanoprost 50micrograms/ml / Timolol 5mg/ml eye
drops		2.5£3.67
Ondansetron 4mg tablets10£7.09
Prochlorperazine 3mg buccal tablets50£7.68
Prochlorperazine 5mg tablets28£1.80
Promethazine hydrochloride 10mg tablets56£18.10
Ropinirole 500microgram tablets28£11.89
Telmisartan 20mg tablets28£3.75
Terbinafine 1% cream30£6.59
Terbinafine 1% cream15£2.98
Timolol 0.25% eye drops5£2.04
Warfarin 5mg tablets28£1.54
Zolmitriptan 2.5mg tablets6£16.45
Zolmitriptan 2.5mg tablets12£32.90
Zopiclone 3.75mg tablets28£1.59
Zopiclone 7.5mg tablets28£1.50

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
Dear Colleague
The first update of concessionary prices were granted today for October 2023:
DrugPack SizeConcessionary Price
Amisulpride 100mg tablets60£18.00
Atorvastatin 10mg tablets28£1.30
Atorvastatin 20mg tablets28£1.39
Atorvastatin 40mg tablets28£2.25
Carbocisteine 250mg/5ml oral solution300£7.42
Chloramphenicol 1% eye ointment4£4.89
Cinacalcet 30mg tablets28£7.25
Co-amoxiclav 500mg/125mg tablets21£4.39
Doxycycline 100mg capsules8£1.05
Eplerenone 25mg tablets28£11.12
Eplerenone 50mg tablets28£5.58
Etoricoxib 60mg tablets28£2.20
Flecainide 100mg tablets60£3.04
Isotretinoin 20mg capsules30£11.27
Levetiracetam 100mg/ml oral solution sugar free300£10.41
Metoprolol 50mg tablets28£2.20
Mometasone 0.1% ointment30£4.11
Oxycodone 5mg/5ml oral solution sugar free250£9.60
Pantoprazole 20mg gastro-resistant tablets28£2.89
Quinine sulfate 200mg tablets28£7.40
Rasagiline 1mg tablets28£15.74
Risperidone 1mg/ml oral solution sugar free100£3.15
Risperidone 500microgram tablets20£3.05
Ropinirole 250microgram tablets12£3.94
Rosuvastatin 10mg tablets28£0.95
Rosuvastatin 20mg tablets28£3.09
Rosuvastatin 40mg tablets28£1.65
Topiramate 100mg tablets60£10.63
Warfarin 1mg tablets28£0.92
Zolmitriptan 2.5mg orodispersible tablets sugar free6£20.24

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 new Medicine Shortage Reporter.

Concessionary prices are also published on the CPNI website.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive