Archives: Contractor Email

Dear Contractor

The Department of Health has issued information relating to amendments made to The Health and Personal Social Services Pharmaceutical Services Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997 which came into operation on 1 March 2022 following previous amendments to the Human Medicines Regulations HERE.

SUMMARY

The amendments:

  • Add therapeutic radiographer independent prescribers; paramedic independent prescribers and dietitian supplementary prescribers to the list of professions in the 1997 Regulations who can prescribe;
  • Make provision for chemists to dispense against a HS21 prescription that is written by additional non-medical prescribers; and
  • Make provision to allow chemists to supply against “pandemic treatment protocols” (PTPs), which allow for the supply, without a prescription, of prescription-only medicines used for the prevention or treatment of diseases, that are, or in anticipation of them being imminently, pandemic. There are also supplementary provisions related to this requirement dealing with matters such as dispensing labels.

ACTION

Contractors are advised to:

  • Note the amendments to The Health and Personal Social Services Pharmaceutical Services Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997 and to bring these matters to the notice of dispensing teams.

Kind regards – Mike

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

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 

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 see attached HERE correspondence from SPPG Pharmacy and Medicines Management.

SUMMARY

  • Public Health Agency vaccinator agreement is in place and Community Pharmacies can make a request to PHA for vaccinator support.
  • There are a small number of Care Homes which have residents with learning disabilities. Pharmacists are advised that Care Home Managers of these homes can request support from Trust Learning Disability (LD) nurses.  Where arrangements are made, any LD nurse attendance is for patient reassurance and they will not be undertaking vaccinations. Requests for LD support should be initiated by the Care Home Manager.
  • Vaccination can be planned even when a Care Home is in outbreak.  The Care Home Manager will conduct a risk assessment and liaise with the PHA duty room to establish the population of residents who can still be vaccinated.  Residents who are COVID-19 positive cannot be vaccinated for 28 days post infection.
  • The Spring booster programme has been established to ensure Care Home residents are given the opportunity to be vaccinated in May 2022.  The aim is to complete vaccination for the majority of eligible residents before the end of May, so that this does not have consequences for any planned Autumn COVID-19 vaccination programme.

ACTION

  • Contractors are asked to review correspondence.
  • Please return all e-forms for each Care Home with the planned dates for vaccinations by 5pm Monday 9 May 2022.
  • 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, saving time for patients, pharmacists and prescribers.
  • The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has developed SSPs for three products to ensure that women are able to access the HRT they need, namely;
  • These SSPs came into operation in all parts of the UK on 29 April 2022 and all have an expiry date of 29 July 2022.

ACTION

  • Contractors are asked to review the correspondence and to note particularly the guidance on professional judgement and on maximum quantities.
  • 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

Please find attached correspondence HERE from Prof. Sir. Michael McBride, Chief Medical Officer.

SUMMARY

  • The Department’s Test and Trace Transition Plan, advice to the general population in relation to COVID-19 Test, Trace and Isolation has changed from 22 April 2022.
  • In light of the changes to guidance for the population, the purpose of this letter is to provide updated guidance for Trust and independent sector healthcare providers on:
    • The management of health and social care workers (except those who work in care homes) who have COVID symptoms;
    • The management of health and social care workers who test positive for COVID-19;
    • The management of health and social care workers who are close contacts of COVID-19;
    • The use of asymptomatic testing with lateral flow tests for health and social care staff; and
    • The use of asymptomatic testing with lateral flow tests for visitors to hospitals and clinical settings.
    • The advice in this letter does not apply to care homes. Separate guidance for care homes will be issued by the Public Health Agency.

ACTION

  • Contractors are asked to review the correspondence.
  • Please do not hesitate to contact your local HSCB office or the CPNI office should you require any further information.

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive

Dear Contractor

The Public Health Agency has oversight of the COVID-19 Vaccination programme in Northern Ireland and has requested that SPPG provide sufficient information to assure that all 477 RQIA registered Care Homes are paired with respective CPVS pharmacies to achieve the successful completion of the Spring COVID-19 Booster Campaign by end of May 2022.

The recent Update G12 outlined the request for the network of Moderna CPVS pharmacies to complete an e-form for each care home requiring to be vaccinated, on a weekly basis each Wednesday.

This is a REMINDER to submit an individual e-form for all of the Care Homes you have made arrangements with, to deliver vaccination clinics. Please complete e-form submissions TODAY.

From 21 April 2022, SPPG would ask that you complete the e-form as soon as you have made a pairing arrangement with a Care Home.

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

Kind regards

SENT ON BEHALF OF
GERARD GREENE
Chief Executive