Dear Contractor

You will be aware from recent media reports that a cyber attack was carried out on a payroll provider serving a number of major businesses – including a multinational pharmacy chain.

This update is to remind you that you can take some simple steps to protect your business against such online security threats. Having good cyber security measures in place will help protect your cash flow, your customer data and your reputation.

A full range of guidance and support can be found on the National Cyber Security Centre website.  Some of the key pieces of advice are outlined below.

Cyber Aware offers simple advice to help small businesses stay safe online.

Cyber Action Plan offers sole traders and small businesses a simple, personalised ‘to do’ list to help protect your business.

The Small Business Guide shows how to improve cyber security within your organisation quickly, easily and at low cost.

Free Online Training – Top Tips for Staff  This online learning module helps you and your staff understand why cyber security is important and shows how to take practical steps to protect against fraud and cyber crime.  It’s totally free, easy-to-use and takes less than 30 minutes to complete.

Small Business Guide to Response and Recovery helps small to medium sized organisations prepare their response to, and plan their recovery from, a cyber incident.

Cyber Essentials shows you how to put technical measures in place to protect your business against the most common internet threats.

ACTION

Contractors are advised to:

  • Note the guidance available above and
  • To continue to review and improve their cyber security.

Don’t delay – take action to protect your business now.  Further information can be accessed via the New Cyber Protect webpage HERE.

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

Online Asthma Information Session – 21st June 2023

NI Chest Heart and Stroke has asked CPNI to share, with pharmacy teams, details of an online Asthma Information Session that they are facilitating at 6.30pm on Wednesday 21st June 2023.  Further information can be found in the NICHS flyer here.

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

Dear Colleague

Further to previous notifications (CU#230517B: Preliminary Notice CPNI AGM and CU#230523B: REMINDER – Preliminary Notice CPNI AGM) advising that the CPNI AGM will take place at 4pm on Thursday 8th June 2023 in CPNI Offices, 5 Annadale Avenue, Belfast, TEAMS joining details are provided below for those CPNI Contractors wishing to join the meeting remotely.

Members are asked to confirm their attendance, or otherwise, to info@communitypharmacyni.co.uk for administrative purposes before 1pm on Thursday 8th June 2023.

Please note that admission to this meeting will be restricted to pharmaceutical contractors and superintendents of bodies corporate (Limited Companies) only.

Click here to join the meeting

Meeting ID: 377 228 544 736
Passcode: w6ZjPd

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

Yours sincerely

SENT ON BEHALF OF
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive
Please Note the Correct and Updated Link to the Survey.
Dear Contractor
CPNI issued a contractor update (CPNI CU#230428A) on 28th April regarding the Department of Health NI Technician and Support Staff Survey.  The information is provided again below along with an updated survey link. The closing date for completion of the survey has been extended to 14th June 2023.

The Department of Health NI issued correspondence on 6th April 2023 inviting all individual pharmacy technicians and pharmacy support staff to complete an online survey.  The Chief Pharmaceutical Officer has advised that the survey is designed to provide a better understanding of the current numbers and skills mix in the pharmacy workforce, and to provide an opportunity for pharmacy colleagues to share their views.  The Department has also developed a printable flyer containing background information for pharmacy personnel and a QR link to the survey.

SUMMARY

Contractors will note:

  • The survey is aimed at pharmacy technicians and pharmacy support staff in all sectors, including community pharmacy.
  • The survey branches into different sets of questions depending on the area in which the respondent works, their role, and any qualifications they may hold.  Therefore staff members may be asked different questions depending on their individual circumstances.
  • The closing date for completion is extended to 14th June 2023.
  • DoH advises that the results of the survey will be used in the implementation of the Pharmacy Workforce Review 2020, which seeks to deliver a sustainable pharmacy workforce for the future.
  • In addition, DoH indicates that the survey will also support work to establish pharmacy technicians as a regulated healthcare profession in Northern Ireland, as announced by the Minister for Health in June 2022.

ACTION

Contractors should:

  • Note the details in the correspondence.
  • Share the updated survey flyer and survey link with pharmacy technicians and support staff, noting the extended closing date of 14th June 2023.

Contractors should contact CPNI offices should they have any queries or should their staff experience any difficulties in accessing or completing the survey.

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

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
Dear Colleague
The final update of concessionary prices were granted today for May 2023:
DrugPack SizeConcessionary Price
Amoxicillin 125mg/5ml oral suspension100£2.98
Amoxicillin 250mg/5ml oral suspension100£3.52
Atorvastatin 10mg tablets28£0.79
Atorvastatin 40mg tablets28£1.30
Atorvastatin 80mg tablets28£1.40
Brinzolamide 10mg/ml eye drops5£4.46
Brinzolamide 10mg/ml / Timolol 5mg/ml eye drops5£8.19
Chloramphenicol 0.5% eye drops10£9.68
Chlorphenamine 2mg/5ml oral solution sugar free150£3.04
Cinacalcet 30mg tablets28£10.09
Cinnarizine 15mg tablets84£5.53
Clarithromycin 250mg tablets14£4.20
Clonidine 25microgram tablets112£19.11
Clotrimazole 500mg pessary and Clotrimazole 2% cream1£10.35
Co-codamol 8mg/500mg effervescent tablets32£3.31
Co-codamol 8mg/500mg effervescent tablets100£10.34
Co-trimoxazole 80mg/400mg tablets28£2.36
Cyclizine 50mg/1ml solution for injection ampoules5£9.74
Doxazosin 4mg modified-release tablets28£5.75
Flucloxacillin 250mg capsules28£1.91
Itraconazole 100mg capsules15£9.76
Lansoprazole 30mg orodispersible tablets28£5.52
Letrozole 2.5mg tablets14£1.03
Methylphenidate 10mg tablets30£3.08
Miconazole 2% cream30£2.51
Nebivolol 5mg tablets28£1.67
Ondansetron 4mg tablets10£6.01
Paracetamol 250mg/5ml oral suspension sugar free200£8.46
Paracetamol 500mg effervescent tablets100£10.77
Permethrin 5% cream30£11.51
Quetiapine 25mg tablets60£1.47
Quinine sulfate 200mg tablets28£5.44
Sodium chloride 0.9% nebuliser liquid 2.5ml unit dose ampoules20£9.12
Spironolactone 100mg tablets28£5.40
Tolterodine 2mg tablets56£3.58
Travoprost 40micrograms/ml eye drops2.5£2.47
Trazodone 100mg capsules56£4.05
Trazodone 50mg capsules84£4.32
Trihexyphenidyl 2mg tablets84£4.45
Valsartan 160mg capsules28£10.88
Venlafaxine 150mg modified-release capsules28£4.98
Venlafaxine 150mg modified-release tablets30£4.85
Venlafaxine 75mg modified-release capsules28£4.50
Venlafaxine 75mg modified-release tablets30£2.95
Zonisamide 100mg capsules56£30.22

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