Archives: Contractor Email

Dear Contractor,

Community pharmacy contractors providing the Living Well service will have received correspondence from SPPG on Tuesday 1st August regarding the Care in the Sun survey.  SPPG have advised CPNI that there are a number of contractors who have not yet submitted responses to other recent Living Well surveys.  In the event that a survey is not completed, SPPG may seek to recover all, or part of, the associated funding via an adjustment to the pharmacy’s BSO payment account.  Further details of the open surveys and their respective closing dates are provided for your convenience below.

SUMMARY

• Home Accident Prevention – Closing date was 16th June, final closing date will be 14th August.
• Live Longer and Stronger – Closing date was 14th July, final closing date will be 21st August.
• Look After Your Eyes – Closing date was 31st July, final closing date will be 21st August.
• Care in the Sun – closing date is 31st August.

ACTION

• Contractors who provide the Living Well service should note the surveys listed above and ensure that responses have been submitted.
• Contractors are reminded to ensure they include the contractor number for the pharmacy when completing their survey.

Please contact CPNI offices should you have any queries.

Kind regards,

Dear Contractor,

The Department of Health NI issued correspondence on 01 August 2023 regarding the Pharmacy Foundation Training Year grant for 2023/24.

SUMMARY

• In the correspondence, the CPO confirms that this year (2023/24) the Department of Health is making a total FTY grant of £25,548 available to each contractor for each trainee pharmacist, who will be commencing their placement from July 2023.
• This will be subject to the registration and regulatory requirements of the Pharmaceutical Society NI (PSNI) being met by trainees, educational supervisors, and employers.
• The grant allows for a salary of £20,048 for each full-time foundation year trainee and the remaining £5,500 grant should be paid to individual contractors to include a protected employer specific funding allocation per placement to cover educational supervision and employer on-costs associated with each placement.
• Reductions to these amounts should be made proportionately in respect of part-time placements.
• A decision on the FTY intake and grant for 2024/25 will be made in the next year and advice will follow in respect of next year’s student placements.
• Thanks are extended to pharmacy contractors for continuing to support the supervisors and future Pharmacists especially during this period of change and adjustment.

ACTION

• Contractors should note the information provided in the correspondence.

Please contact CPNI offices should you have any queries.

Kind regards,

Dear Colleague

The final update of concessionary prices were granted today for July 2023:

Drug	Pack Size	Concessionary Price
Aciclovir 200mg tablets	25	£1.76
Atorvastatin 20mg tablets	28	£3.38
Atorvastatin 80mg tablets	28	£3.45
Benzoyl peroxide 5% / Clindamycin 1% gel	30	£11.09
Benzoyl peroxide 5% / Clindamycin 1% gel	60	£21.65
Betahistine 16mg tablets	84	£8.92
Betahistine 8mg tablets	84	£3.73
Brinzolamide 10mg/ml / Timolol 5mg/ml eye drops	5	£8.19
Buprenorphine 8mg sublingual tablets sugar free	7	£4.22
Calcipotriol 0.005% / Betamethasone dipropionate 0.05% ointment	30	£10.67
Celecoxib 100mg capsules	60	£5.12
Cinacalcet 30mg tablets	28	£7.77
Cinnarizine 15mg tablets	84	£5.47
Clarithromycin 250mg/5ml oral suspension	70	£4.88
Co-amoxiclav 250mg/125mg tablets	21	£2.69
Co-amoxiclav 250mg/62mg/5ml oral suspension sugar free	100	£2.09
Co-careldopa 12.5mg/50mg tablets	90	£4.56
Codeine 30mg tablets	28	£1.08
Codeine 30mg tablets	100	£3.86
Desmopressin 200microgram tablets	30	£21.69
Dorzolamide 20mg/ml eye drops	5	£3.34
Doxycycline 100mg capsules	8	£1.02
Enalapril 2.5mg tablets	28	£8.75
Estradiol 10microgram pessaries	24	£10.69
Fenofibrate micronised 200mg capsules	28	£3.43
Flucloxacillin 250mg/5ml oral solution	100	£3.40
Flucloxacillin 250mg/5ml oral solution sugar free	100	£3.51
Fludrocortisone 100microgram tablets	30	£6.43
Hydralazine 25mg tablets	56	£4.40
Hydrocortisone 1% cream	15	£0.99
Itraconazole 100mg capsules	15	£4.27
Lansoprazole 15mg orodispersible tablets	28	£2.97
Letrozole 2.5mg tablets	14	£5.89
Mebeverine 50mg/5ml oral suspension sugar free	300	£214.96
Mometasone 0.1% ointment	30	£3.84
Morphine sulfate 10mg/1ml solution for injection ampoules	10	£7.49
Naftidrofuryl 100mg capsules	84	£10.20
Pantoprazole 40mg gastro-resistant tablets	28	£3.53
Paracetamol 500mg effervescent tablets	100	£8.80
Pregabalin 150mg capsules	56	£2.67
Quinine sulfate 200mg tablets	28	£7.87
Rizatriptan 10mg orodispersible tablets sugar free	3	£6.02
Sodium chloride 0.9% nebuliser liquid 2.5ml unit dose ampoules	20	£11.75
Tacrolimus 0.1% ointment	30	£19.23
Tacrolimus 0.1% ointment	60	£40.94
Telmisartan 20mg tablets	28	£3.82
Terbinafine 1% cream	30	£7.27
Terbinafine 1% cream	15	£3.26
Topiramate 100mg tablets	60	£12.35
Topiramate 50mg tablets	60	£16.14
Trazodone 100mg capsules	56	£3.05
Trihexyphenidyl 2mg tablets	84	£3.74
Valsartan 40mg capsules	28	£6.75

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

 CPNI ALERTS 

• Experiential Learning – Training Schedule For Nominated Practice Supervisors 27 July 2023
• REMINDER Community Pharmacy Bank Holiday Provision Monday 28 August 2023 26 July 2023
• 2023 Community Pharmacy Vaccine Service 24 July 2023
• Review of Melatonin Prescribing in Primary Care 24 July 2023
• Early Communication Autumn 2023-24 Vaccination Programme 21 July 2023

 DOH(NI) ALERTS 

• The Medicine Management Newsletter 27 July 2023
• Review of Melatonin Prescribing in Primary Care 24 July 2023
• Vaccine Management System Memo 24 July 2023
• Vaccine Management System Data Quality Handbook 24 July 2023
• Early Communication Autumn 2023-24 Vaccination Programme 21 July 2023

BSO ALERTS 

• Weekly Drug Alerts are available here.
  • Medicines Recall – Sodiofolin 50 mg/ml, sol for inj/inf (400mg/8ml vial)  20 July 2023
• Weekly Shortages Information is available here.
  • Adoport® (tacrolimus) 2mg hard capsules 21 July 2023
  • Atomoxetine 40mg and 60mg capsules21 July 2023
• 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

Dear Contractor,

As you may be aware, NICPLD recently asked contractors who had previously expressed an interest in participating in the Experiential Learning (EL) programme to confirm their participation and provide an indication of the weeks during which they would be able to facilitate a student. 

NICPLD have informed CPNI that sufficient numbers of community pharmacies have now confirmed their participation, meaning that the EL programme will commence as planned in November 2023.  NICPLD are now contacting those pharmacists who have been nominated to act as Practice Supervisors for EL to make them aware of the training requirements.

SUMMARY

Key Aspects – Experiential Learning in Community Pharmacy:

• The Autumn/Winter 2023 EL programme for community pharmacies will involve the placement of all 3rd year (QUB and UU) pharmacy students in participating community pharmacy training sites. 
• The initial block of week-long placements in community pharmacies will run from 6th November to 24th November, with further blocks in January 2024.
• Participating pharmacies were asked to indicate the weeks during which they can facilitate a student.
• Each participating pharmacy was asked to nominate at least one pharmacist to act as a Practice Supervisor for their EL student(s). 
• Each student will be placed in a pharmacy for a week (Monday – Friday), during which time they will be required to undertake and complete up to 5 defined learning activities, with the support of their Practice Supervisor.
• Funding of £592 will be provided to participating community pharmacy contractors for each one-week placement they facilitate.

Training:

• NICPLD have advised CPNI that they are now contacting those pharmacists who have been nominated to act as a Practice Supervisor (PS), to inform them of the training and accreditation requirements.
• There are 3 elements to PS training and accreditation that nominated pharmacists are required to complete.
  1. 2 x NICPLD E-learning Modules on Developing Others which are available on the e-learning area of the NICPLD website:
     • Effective Workplace Training 
     • Effective Mentoring
  2. Evening Webinar – Practice Supervisors are required to register to attend one evening webinar date in August.
  3. Face to Face Evening Workshop – Practice Supervisors are required to register to attend one evening workshop in September.
• Pharmacists who have already completed the E-learning modules on Developing Others within 2 years prior to commencing their role as a PS, will not be required to complete them again, although they may wish to do so as a refresher.  For all other pharmacists, both modules must be completed before the start date of the first EL student placement.
• Funding has been made available to recognise the time requirement for those pharmacists training as a PS for the initial 2023 programme.  The PS will receive a payment of 3 days at £150/day (gross payment), which will be paid to the pharmacy contractor and should be processed accordingly.

ACTION

• Contractors who have committed to participating in Experiential Learning in 2023 should take note of the training and accreditation requirements for nominated Practice Supervisors and, where appropriate, share the information in this contractor update with relevant members of the pharmacy team.
• Contractors who were previously unable to commit to participating in the EL programme due to workforce and workload pressures will not be excluded from participating in the programme in the future.  NICPLD Lead Helen Hirst can be contacted if any contractor requires additional information on providing EL placements going forward.

Should you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact a member of the CPNI team.

Kind regards,

Dear Contractor,

 SUMMARY 

SPPG is seeking your opening intentions to ascertain whether or not there is sufficient commercial opening to inform any decision about initiation or otherwise of a rota on Monday 28^th August 2023.
 
The pro-forma was due to be returned to your local Primary Care Office before Monday 24^th July 2023.
 
SPPG have advised that a large number have not yet been submitted. It is important that you submit a return to SPPG in order that it can inform those community pharmacies who are on rota, so they can in turn confirm  arrangements with staff.

 ACTION 

CPNI would encourage pharmacies who have not yet submitted the pro-forma to do so at your earliest convenience to enable planning for the August bank holiday rota.

Should you have any queries please contact CPNI offices or your local SPPG advisor.

Kind regards,