Archives: Contractor Email

Dear Colleague

Please find correspondence HERE from HSCB Pharmacy and Medicines Management.

SUMMARY

• HSCB have been made aware of fraudulent private prescriptions having been presented in the Belfast area.
• A female presented a prescription for diazepam reportedly from a GP surgery in Dublin. The address of the ‘patient’ was in Clondalkin, Co. Dublin. The pharmacist contacted the practice concerned who advised this was a false prescription. At this time the female left the pharmacy and the prescription was not dispensed.
• On the same day an individual presented a prescription for Diazepam and Stemetil in a separate area of Belfast. The GP was a genuine GP in Tallaght Cross, Dublin. As far as the pharmacist knows, all the details on the script were accurate (telephone number, registration etc.) but it was a forged script. This prescription was dispensed.

ACTION

• Contractors are asked to review the correspondence.
• Pharmacists are reminded that when supplying medications and in particular medicines liable to abuse/misuse, against any prescription, due diligence must be taken to satisfy themselves that the prescription is genuine.
• Please report all confirmed instances of false prescriptions, whether medication was obtained or not, firstly to the PSNI on 101 (or 999 in the case of an emergency) and also to BSO Counter Fraud and Probity Services (see HERE).
• Please do not hesitate to contact your local Local Integrated Care Offices or the CPNI office should you require any further information.

Kind regards

Dear Colleague

Please find correspondence HERE from HSCB Pharmacy and Medicines Management.

SUMMARY

• Smoking in private vehicles and nicotine inhaling products regulations are being introduced on 1 February 2022 to protect children. To increase awareness and encourage support for the new regulations, the Public Health Agency has implemented two separate mass media campaigns.
• From this date, it will be illegal to smoke in a private vehicle where children or young people under the age of 18 are present, when there is more than one person in the vehicle, and the vehicle is enclosed. It will be an offence to smoke in such a vehicle and it will also be an offence for a driver to fail to prevent smoking in a smoke-free private vehicle.
• In addition, from 1 February 2022, it will be an offence to sell nicotine inhaling products to children and to purchase, or attempt to purchase, such products on behalf of a child (a proxy purchasing offence).
• Both campaigns include radio, outdoor and digital advertising, including social media. The smoking in private vehicles regulations campaign also includes TV advertising. All campaign advertising signposts HERE.
• See the communications toolkit for further information. Please help promote and encourage support for the new regulations, by sharing the assets available HERE via your own communication channels.
• Please note, the PHA is urging smokers to use the introduction of the new regulations as motivation to stop smoking. Pharmacies offering “Stop Smoking” services may experience an increase in demand for these services.

ACTION

• Contractors are asked to review the correspondence.
• Contractors are also asked to visit the communications toolkit for further information. Please help promote and encourage support for the new regulations, by sharing the assets available HERE via your own communication channels.
• Please do not hesitate to contact your local Local Integrated Care Offices or the CPNI office should you require any further information.

Kind regards

Dear Colleague

Please find correspondence HERE from Joe Brogan, Assistant Director of Integrated Care, Head of Pharmacy and Medicines Management.

SUMMARY

• The HSCB is in the process of securing funding in relation to training of community pharmacy support staff.
• It is anticipated that grant funding would be made available to pharmacies at the following levels (maximum of one grant per pharmacy):
  • Pharmacy Technician NVQ Level 3.
    • Funding of £5,000 will be payable in respect of each permanent employee that enrols on this course.
  • Pharmacy Assistant – NVQ Level 2
    • Funding of £2,500 will be payable in respect of each permanent employee that enrols on this course.
• In order to assess the interest in this scheme, HSCB needs to receive an expression of interest from pharmacies by 11 February 2022. Expressions of interest that are received after this date will not be considered for this round of funding. 

ACTION

• Contractors are asked to review the correspondence.
• Complete the expression of interest HERE, by 11 February 2022, to be considered for this round of funding.
• Please do not hesitate to contact your local Local Integrated Care Offices or the CPNI office should you require any further information.

Kind regards

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

BSO ALERTS 

• Weekly Drug Alerts are available here.
• MPS 2841 – Medicines Defect Information – Kabiven 25 Jan
• Weekly Shortages Information is available here.
• Paracetamol Suppositories 120mg and 240mg 26 Jan
• Serious Shortage Protocols are available here.

CPNI ALERTS 

• Advice For Handling Verbal/Legal Threats By Anti-Vaccination Members Of The Public 27 Jan
• Call For COVID-19 Vaccination Service Case Studies 27 Jan
• Reminder Of Resources Available: Cessation Of Non-Commissioned Adherence Service 27 Jan
• Updated COVID-19 Guidance Management Of Pharmacy Staff (UPDATE) 26 Jan
• Fourth Concessionary Prices – January 2022 26 Jan
• VMS UPDATE RUNNING ON TUESDAY 25th JANUARY – 8pm To 10pm 25 Jan

HSCB ALERTS 

• Living Well Service Requirement Reminder 26 Jan
•  Update G11 – Continued Provision of COVID CPVS 27 Jan
• Pharmacy HSC Secure Email Letter & Guidance – deletion of emails in order to free up space within HSC mailbox 24 Jan

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 or Situation Reporter.

Kind regards

Dear Colleague

CPNI have been made aware of unsettling and disturbing instances in community pharmacies in recent days where members of the public have approached staff in Pharmacies commissioned to provide COVID-19 Vaccination services, and directed anti-vaccination sentiments at pharmacy staff and then serving what are stated by the individual(s) to be “legal papers” on the pharmacy. CPNI’s general advice to Contractors offering COVID-19 Vaccination services includes: – Inform your pharmacy staff that there have been instances of this nature occurring in Northern Ireland community pharmacies and that there may be a possibility of the pharmacy being approached by members of the public citing anti-vaccination statements with the individual(s) then purporting to serve what they refer to as “legal papers” on the pharmacy – Engagement with the individual(s) should be kept to an absolute minimum.  Staff may wish to advise that they have patients to see to and/or prescriptions to dispense and therefore do not have time for a discussion. – Pharmacy teams do not have to accept any such documentation presented but may choose to do so to avoid confrontation. If you do accept it, it should be retained and the pharmacy line manager/Contractor advised accordingly. – The pharmacy indemnity provider can be contacted for further guidance and advice if any documentation given to pharmacy staff makes claim to be of a legal nature. – Unless the individual(s) is also presenting for commissioned health services provided by the pharmacy (e.g. for a prescription to be dispensed) the pharmacy is entitled to ask the individual(s) to leave the pharmacy at any stage. The individual(s) can also be advised that they are not permitted to enter the pharmacy going forward. – Pharmacy staff and patient safety in the pharmacy is paramount at all times. Should there be any abuse directed at staff or if there is a safety risk to staff or other members of the public in the pharmacy during such instances the police should be contacted immediately. The individual(s) giving rise to the incident/disruption should be informed accordingly. A lot of ant-vaccination sentiment is being hosted on social media across the UK, often citing legal basis and threats therein. People who oppose vaccinations are entitled to their opinions, but the papers they wish to hand over have no legal status unless they bear the seal of a court of law, and nothing we have seen so far leads us to believe that the arguments expressed have any merit in law, whether here or elsewhere in the UK. CPNI is also liaising with the Department of Health and HSCB in relation to this issue. Please do not hesitate to contact CPNI Office on 028 9069 0444 for further advice or support.

Kind regards

Dear Colleague

Since joining the COVID-19 vaccination programme in March 2021, community pharmacy teams have worked incredibly hard to deliver the service, helping to maximise the levels of protection against COVID-19 across our communities. With over 317,000 vaccinations administered to date, the success of the service is credit to the hard work and dedication of our local teams.   Community pharmacy is the main provider of COVID-19 primary vaccinations, as well as delivering the booster. As we move through the pandemic and into a new phase of the programme, we are looking at new ways of delivering the community pharmacy service. This is particularly important as initial demand for the vaccinations has decreased overall.   To help do this we are asking community pharmacy teams to share their experience of delivering the service. We hope by capturing a range of case studies we can share good practice, support contractors, and help to increase patient uptake.   It is also an opportunity to highlight the network’s ability to introduce new services quickly and effectively, whilst continuing to deliver daily services such as dispensing.   If you would like to share your experience, please get in contact on 028 9069 0444 and a member of the team will contact you or send an email to info@communitypharmacyni.co.uk outlining what you planned, what went well, what the outcome was (include number of vaccinations administered if possible),  any novel measures you introduced to increase patient access to your service and what you would do differently in future.

Kind regards