Archives: Contractor Email

Dear Colleagues,

Please find attached for your attention, correspondence from Joe Brogan, Assistant Director of Integrated Care, Head of Pharmacy and Medicines Management and Dr. Margaret O’Brien, Assistant Director of Integrated Care, Head of GMS.

CPNI is informed by HSCB that there is NO direct contractor input into this as nursing homes will dispose of their own medicinal product waste. The information is being sent to all community pharmacies to alert them that these medicines had been removed thus ensuring they would not unintentionally restock any pandemic packs of these three medications if requested by a nursing home.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
DR. GARETH C. GILVARY
Governance & Support Pharmacist

Dear Colleagues,

Please find attached for your attention, correspondence from Kathryn Turner, Pharmacy Lead, HSCB.

The purpose of this correspondence is to inform community pharmacies that with immediate effect:

  • Pharmacies should not book any 1st dose appointments for AZ vaccination for any individuals aged under 40 years of age. Individuals aged under 40 years of age requesting vaccination with AZ should be advised that a non-AZ vaccine is the preferred vaccine for their age cohort and that they should book their vaccine through the Trust vaccination centres. There is currently good availability for vaccination slots in all Trust centres.
  • Individuals aged under 40 years of age who have already had their first dose of AZ in community pharmacy should continue to be offered their 2nd dose appointment as scheduled, in line with JCVI advice.
  • Pharmacies must contact any individuals under 40 years of age booked for a 1st dose appointment to cancel their appointment, and should advise the patient that they can reschedule their vaccination appointment by booking with one of the Trust centres at this time, by visiting HERE https://vaccinations.covid-19.hscni.net/booking. Appendix I includes information that may assist in the identification of patients aged under 40 years.

CPNI has raised with DoH and HSCB the additional workload implications on pharmacy teams who are required, as a result of this update.

Kinds regards, stay safe – Gareth

SENT ON BEHALF OF
DR. GARETH C. GILVARY
Governance & Support Pharmacist

Dear Colleague

As you will be aware, there are widely publicised increases in cyber-attacks world-wide with health service facilities frequently being targeted. In response, CPNI has been partnering with the Police Service of NI Cyber Crime Centre to update contractors on measures that could be taken to upgrade the security of sensitive data held in community pharmacies.

As part of the evening ECHO session being delivered on 29 June 2021, Sam Kincaid, Regional Cyber Protect Officer, will be highlighting:

Current cyber threats facing organisations in Northern Ireland, an overview of steps organisations can take to reduce the risk they face and free resources available to help support them.

ACTION

Contractors are advised to note:

  1. Reports of the increasing number and complexity of cyber-attacks here; and
  2. The date of the ECHO session aimed at helping to protect community pharmacy from such attacks.

Details of the ECHO session will be forwarded through the normal channels.

Kind regards – Mike

SENT ON BEHALF OF
PROF. MIKE MAWHINNEY
Head of Regulatory Affairs

Dear Colleague

As per CU210611A on Friday 11 June 2021 and CU210617B on Thursday 17 June 2021 which gave Advance Notice for the CPNI Contractor Meeting to be held at 8pm Wednesday 23 June 2021, this email provides further information. 

I write to you to ask that you register your interest with your intention to attend has been extended to 4pm, Tuesday 23 June 2021 via email to ggilvary@communitypharmacyni.co.uk. The Zoom link will subsequently be provided in advance of the Zoom Contractor meeting to the email address you provide.

I also write to advise that following security concerns raised by several contractors at a previous Zoom meeting all contractors will be asked to switch-on their camera at the beginning of the contractor meeting and to input their name in the chat-room facility.

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.

BSO ALERTS 

CPNI ALERTS 

HSCB ALERTS 

  • COVID – CPVS Weekly Reminders and Round-Up 18 June 2021
    • For those pharmacies providing the CP-CV Service we draw your attention to the first section entitled “Cohort Update – Suspension of Service Provision of AZ vaccine to under 40s“, accessible via the link above. The section contains important information that includes the following: 
    • Due to a number of reasons including the recently improved availability of alternative non-AZ vaccines through the Trust regional vaccination centres, and potentially community pharmacies, the Department of Health has reviewed the current COVID-19 vaccine deployment plan and has temporarily paused the ‘informed consent’ option of the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine to all under 40s (seeking their 1st AZ vaccination) in all vaccination settings, including community pharmacy.
  • Further information is contained in the HSCB Weekly Reminder and Update (18th June) – I would ask that you ensure all pharmacy staff involved in the provision of the CP-CVS are informed of this important HSCB Cohort Update.
  • Hepatitis C Becomes a Notifiable Disease in Northern Ireland 17 June 2021
  • NI Medicines Management June 2021 Newsletter and Supplement 17 June 2021
Please bring this to the attention of your pharmacy team(s).
Pharmacy team(s) can keep updated via CPNI’s

Or report medicine shortages or pricing issues via the CPNI’s

Many thanks, stay safe – Gareth

SENT ON BEHALF OF DR. GARETH C. GILVARY
Governance & Support Pharmacist

FAO of Community Pharmacy teams providing the COVID-19 Vaccination Service. Cohort Update – Suspension of Service Provision of AZ vaccine to under 40s

  • As notified in the HSCB COVID – CPVS Weekly Reminders and Round-Up issued today, 18 June 2021, I would like to draw your attention to the first section in that Update entitled “Cohort Update – Suspension of Service Provision of AZ vaccine to under 40s“. The section contains important information as follows: 
  • We draw your attention to the first section entitled “Cohort Update – Suspension of Service Provision of AZ vaccine to under 40s“. This section contains important information as follows: 
  • Due to a number of reasons including the recently improved availability of alternative non-AZ vaccines through the Trust regional vaccination centres, and potentially community pharmacies, the Department of Health has reviewed the current COVID-19 vaccine deployment plan and has temporarily paused the ‘informed consent’ option of the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine to all under 40s in all vaccination settings, including community pharmacy. 
  • This decision is in line with the current JCVI advice on the use of the AZ vaccine in the UK and will be kept under review should there be further changes in the spread of the disease, including new variants.
  • The Department is working with HSCB and CPNI to develop alternatives to the AZ vaccine that can be deployed in community pharmacy in the under 40 age cohort, including the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, and we will provide further detail on these arrangements as soon as possible.
  • With immediate effect:
    • Pharmacies should not book any 1st dose appointments for AZ vaccination for any individuals aged under 40 years of age. Individuals aged under 40 years of age requesting vaccination with AZ should be advised that a non-AZ vaccine is the preferred vaccine for their age cohort and that they should book their vaccine through the Trust vaccination centres. There is currently good availability for vaccination slots in all Trust centres.
    • Individuals aged under 40 years of age who have already had their first dose of AZ in community pharmacy should continue to be offered their 2nd dose appointment as scheduled, in line with JCVI advice.
    • Pharmacies must contact any individuals booked for a 1st dose appointment to cancel their appointment, and should advise the patient that they can reschedule their vaccination appointment by booking with one of the Trust centres at this time, by clicking HERE. Arrangements are also being made for text message notification to be issued by health service officials to any individuals booked on VMS with an appointment on or after 26 June 2021, and who have a contact telephone number recorded on VMS informing them of the need to rearrange their vaccination appointment to a Trust centre.

CPNI has raised with DoH and HSCB the additional workload implications on pharmacy teams who are required, as a result of this update, to contact individuals under 40s booked with the pharmacy for their 1st vaccination to cancel the appointment and to re-direct affected individuals to make an alternative booking to receive a different vaccine at one of the Regional vaccination centres.

I would ask that you ensure all pharmacy staff involved in the provision of the CP-CVS are informed of this HSCB Cohort Update.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive