Archives: Contractor Email

This update contains important information for community pharmacy teams, including details of the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

BSO ALERTS

CPNI ALERTS

DOH(NI) ALERTS

KNOW CHECK ASK PROMOTIONAL RESOURCES UPDATE

Living well social media assets and schedule to support Know Check Ask campaign are now available at Social Media schedule (hscni.net).

As part of your Living Well resources, you will have received a Know Check Ask window sticker that was not referenced in previous SPPG correspondence.  This is an additional resource, however it is not a replacement for display of the posters and as per your Living Well contract, posters must be displayed in at least one window unit of the pharmacy premises for the full duration of the campaign.

Serious Shortage Protocols (SSPs) May 2022 Update

To support contractors in managing the current SSPs arrangements, CPNI have produced a Serious Shortage Protocols (SSPs) May Update which can be found HERE.

Please bring this to the attention of your pharmacy team(s).
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.

Kind regards

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

Dear Contractor

Please find attached correspondence HERE from Professor Sir Michael McBride, Chief Medical Officer;  Ms Maria McIlgorm, Chief Nursing Officer and Mrs Cathy Harrison, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer.

SUMMARY

  • The eligibility criteria for COVID-19 Spring Booster Vaccination has been extended by one month and therefore those who will turn 75 years old by 30 June 2022 (i.e. those born before 30 June 1947), can receive a spring booster dose. 
  • Any patient who turns 75 during June and requests vaccination, can receive their vaccine via a participating community pharmacy.

ACTION

  • Contractors are asked to review the correspondence. 
  • Contractors should contact their local SPPG office in the first instance should further information be required.
  • Please do not hesitate to contact CPNI office should you require any further information.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive

Dear Contractor

Please find attached correspondence HERE from Cathy Harrison, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer.

SUMMARY 

  • Serious shortage protocols (SSPs) under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 (HMRs) are an additional tool to manage and mitigate medicines shortages.
  • An SSP enables community pharmacists to supply a specified medicine in accordance with a protocol rather than a prescription, without needing to seek authorisation from the prescriber. 
  • In response to continued high demand and disruption to the supply of some HRT medicines, DHSC has now issued a further ten new SSPs HERE to allow community pharmacists to consider different options to enable continued supply of HRT medicines to mitigate the ongoing supply disruptions affecting five HRT medicines. 
    • Ovestin 1mg cream
    • Oestrogel Pump-Pack 0.06% gel
    • Lenzetto 1.53mg transdermal spray
    • Sandrena 0.5mg and 1mg gel sachets
    • Premique® Low Dose 0.3mg/1.5mg modified-release tablets
  • These SSPs came into operation in all parts of the UK on 19 May 2022 and all have an expiry date of 19 August 2022.
  • Pharmacists will need to call on their clinical expertise to determine which SSP is the most appropriate to use in each scenario and to counsel patients on any changes made to their treatment and what it means for their medicine regimen.

ACTION

  • Contractors are asked to review the correspondence. 
  • Community pharmacists should use their professional skill and judgement to decide whether it is reasonable and appropriate to substitute or limit the patient’s prescribed order for a supply under these active SSPs. 
  • Pharmacists should be aware that where a therapeutic equivalent is supplied under an SSP then the patient’s prescriber should be notified.
  • Pharmacists should also refer to the Operational Guidance on Serious Shortage Protocols, which is available HERE.
  • Contractors should also ensure that their dispensary teams are aware of these new protocols.
  • Contractors should contact their local SPPG office in the first instance should further information be required.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive
Dear Colleague
The second update of concessionary prices were granted for May 2022:
DrugPack SizeConcessionary Price
Amoxicillin 250mg/5ml oral suspension sugar free100£1.68
Co-tenidone 100mg/25mg tablets28£1.42
Exemestane 25mg tablets30£19.91
Famotidine 20mg tablets28£16.25
Famotidine 40mg tablets28£28.54
Febuxostat 80mg tablets28£3.17
Flecainide 100mg tablets60£4.25
Frovatriptan 2.5mg tablets6£3.09
Isotretinoin 20mg capsules30£16.15
Losartan 50mg tablets28£1.71
Midazolam 10mg/2ml solution for injection ampoules10£6.20
Oxybutynin 5mg tablets56£1.55
Rivastigmine 3mg capsules28£5.21
Ropinirole 250microgram tablets12£3.35
Ropinirole 2mg tablets28£17.50
Sodium bicarbonate 500mg capsules56£3.76
Tolterodine 1mg tablets56£2.48
Tolterodine 2mg tablets56£3.12

Concessionary prices will be paid against the usual code, no additional endorsements are needed.

Concessionary prices may be granted up until the end of the month so CPNI will notify you of any further concessionary prices as and when they are agreed.

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
DR. GARETH C. GILVARY
Governance & Support Pharmacist
This update contains important information for community pharmacy teams, including details of the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

BSO ALERTS

CPNI ALERTS

DOH(NI) ALERTS

KNOW, CHECK, ASK PROMOTIONAL RESOURCES

Northern Ireland’s Chief Pharmaceutical Officer Cathy Harrison has launched the Know, Check, Ask campaign to highlight the importance of using medicine safely.

Contractors and pharmacy teams providing this service are asked to please promote this campaign via their social media channels.

Resources include:

Please bring this to the attention of your pharmacy team(s).
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.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF 
DR. GARETH C. GILVARY
Governance & Support Pharmacist
Dear Contractor
CPNI has been liaising with the Pharmaceutical Society Northern Ireland (PSNI) in relation to the registration process and timeline for Foundation Training Year (FTY) pharmacists intending to register with PSNI this summer.

PSNI has confirmed the following:

PSNI will open the portal to registration applications on 1 July 2022. 
The Common Registration Assessment (CRA) results will be available on 29 July 2022.
From 1 August 2022, PSNI will begin to process all completed applications that they receive by 15 July 2022 from FTY pharmacists who have;
completed the FTY programme,
been successful in the CRA and paid the relevant fees.
PSNI will aim to Register all those who have completed the steps outlined above on or before Friday, 5 August 2022, with subsequent applications being processed in order received thereafter.

Contractors are advised to encourage Foundation Year pharmacists to properly complete their online applications and to ensure they have completed all the necessary elements of their FTY training with NICPLD and tendered the relevant payment to the PSNI on time.

It is anticipated that PSNI will confirm these arrangements and provide further information on their website in due course, but hopefully this information will, in the meantime, help you in the planning of your pharmacy staffing arrangements going forward.

Please do not hesitate to contact the CPNI office should you require any further information. 

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive