Archives: Contractor Email

Dear Contractor
As you may be aware CPNI issued a contractor update CPNI CU#230201A in February 2023 which provided an overview of the requirements in relation to the Community Pharmacy Medicines Adherence Service up to 31st March 2023.  SPPG colleagues have advised CPNI that some pharmacies have not yet submitted all of the required paperwork, including the declaration, contract and returns.  A reminder is therefore provided below.

ACTION

Contractors are asked to:

  • If not already completed please ensure that your pharmacy has returned the following to their local SPPG office:

Please contact CPNI offices should you require any additional information at this stage.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
Gerard Greene
Chief Executive
Dear Colleague
SPPG issued COVID-19 Spring Booster 2023 Update 5 on 15 May 2023.  Earlier updates can be viewed here:

COVID-19 Spring Booster 2023 Update 1
COVID-19 Spring Booster 2023 Update 2
COVID-19 Spring Booster 2023 Update 3
COVID-19 Spring Booster 2023 Update 4

SUMMARY

Update 5 informs CPVS contractors:

Completion:

  • The target date for completion of care home vaccinations is 31 May 2023.
  • Vaccinating pharmacies have two weeks left to finish this at-risk group.
  • Any pharmacy who is unable to meet 31 May deadline should contact the SPPG vaccination team – contact Greg Miller (Greg.Miller@hscni.net), Bronagh Ward (Bronagh.Ward@hscni.net) or Helen Parr (Helen.Parr@hscni.net).

Care homes with no VMS activity:

  • There are currently 187 (42%) care homes where there is no vaccinating activity recorded.
  • Please ensure that you have plans in place to vaccinate all care home residents paired with your pharmacy including dates of clinic(s) and that paperwork has been returned from care home providing lists of residents to be vaccinated and information to assist making best interest decisions.
  • If a care home has been vaccinated but the data has not yet been inputted onto VMS please enter these vaccinations as soon as possible.

Missed residents:

  • Please ensure that eligible residents who were missed in original clinics are rescheduled for vaccination on or before the deadline of 31 May.

Accurate and contemporaneous VMS records:

  • Please ensure that VMS is updated on the same day as vaccine administration and that the correct RQIA code is recorded.
  • Some homes have dual registration (a separate nursing and residential RQIA code) and it is imperative that the correct code is assigned to the patient.
  • VMS data is used by the Public Health Agency to monitor the Community Pharmacy Vaccination Service and we ask that you continue to ensure good data quality by inputting the correct patient and vaccine details and correcting inaccuracies if noticed and when asked by SPPG.

A recent learning incident:

  • A recent incident occurred where a care home resident was vaccinated in error.
  • The resident’s name was not on the vaccination list provided by the home and even though the patient agreed to vaccination they should not have been vaccinated.
  • It is essential that vaccinating pharmacists confirm the resident’s identity and check that their name is on the list provided by the care home manager of residents to be vaccinated.
  • Vaccination of residents not listed by the care home manager should not occur.

ACTION

Contractors providing the CPVS are asked to:

  • Review CPVS Update 5, and the previous updates (1-4 linked above) if not already reviewed.
  • Take note of the deadline for completion of the vaccination of care home residents by 31 May and ensure the necessary plans are in place.
  • Ensure that vaccination records are accurately updated on VMS as soon as possible after vaccination occurs.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
Gerard Greene
Chief Executive
This update contains important information for community pharmacy teams, including details of the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

CPNI ALERTS

DOH(NI) ALERTS

BSO ALERTS

CPNI have been contacted by a Queen’s University PhD Student, Emma Cassinelli.  Emma is seeking responses from Pharmacists to a survey assessing awareness and use of a range of preconception health and care guidelines, strategies, frameworks, policies and recommendations.  The survey takes approx. 10-12 minutes and those who wish to contribute can access the survey here.
Note: Chlorphenamine 2mg/5ml oral solution (150ml) was inadvertently omitted from the final concessionary price update for April published on 28th April 2023.  All prescriptions submitted as dispensed in April 2023 will be reimbursed at £3.34 and not as printed in the Drug Tariff for April 2023.
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 Contractor,
CPNI has been working with colleagues in SPPG to review the timing, location, frequency and duration of the current rota arrangements operated across Northern Ireland.  You will be aware that data has been collected from recent rota services and CPNI also undertook a survey with our members.

SUMMARY

Following consideration of the recent survey and review, the following changes are being proposed:

  • General Considerations:
    • Where a rota is deemed necessary in a given area all pharmacies in that area will be included in the rota unless it is not possible e.g., located within shopping centre, or excluded with agreement of all other participating pharmacies.
    • Consider earlier slot on Sunday and relevant bank holidays so that no rota extends beyond 6.00pm.   
  • Area Specific Considerations are set out in the attached table.

ACTION

Contractors, especially those involved in the current rota, are asked to:

  • Please review the information above and the attached table.
  • If you have any comments on any of the proposed changes can you please inform the CPNI office by 5pm on Tuesday 16th May.

Note:  At this stage the logistics of rota are being considered, but remuneration will also form part of the review.

Please contact CPNI offices should you require any additional information at this stage.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
Gerard Greene
Chief Executive
Dear Contractor
As you may be aware, correspondence providing updates on the 2023/24 Adherence Services was issued by SPPG on 10th May 2023.

SUMMARY

The letter confirms that:

  • The Interim Adherence Service ended on 31st March 2023.
  •  £18m adherence funding will be provided by SPPG to support adherence service provision in 2023/24.
  • Current adherence payment methodologies will continue to be used by BSO for the April-June 2023 prescription months, with transitional arrangements for adherence services and adherence payments being developed for subsequent months.
  • Further information on declarations, quarterly returns and adherence guidance documentation will be issued by SPPG in due course.

Contractors should be aware that:

  • CPNI continues to make representations to SPPG/DoH for additional resource to be made available to support the provision of adherence services in 2023/24.

ACTION

Contractors are asked to:

  • Read the correspondence and inform the relevant members of the pharmacy team.

Please contact CPNI offices should you require any additional information at this stage.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
Gerard Greene
Chief Executive
This update contains important information for community pharmacy teams, including details of the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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.
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