BSO has raised a number of issues with CPNI associated with late submissions of prescriptions to BSO for payment. You and the pharmacy staff involved in the prescription submission processes to BSO are asked to consider the following:
The number of prescription submissions arriving late to BSO (beyond the 3-day courier collection period) is impacting on BSO’s ability to make payments to contractors with late submissions at month-end.
BSO payment processes are such that they only have a limited window in which to process the prescriptions in time for payment at month-end and they are increasingly not able to facilitate late prescription submissions.
Contractors will be aware that it is the responsibility of the contractor to make sure that prescriptions are received by BSO on time irrespective of whether a courier, a member of staff, or any other method is used to transport the prescriptions to BSO.
Contractors and staff involved in prescription submission processes are asked to note the monetary value typically contained within the prescription submission for the pharmacy / pharmacies you operate.
For the purposes of illustration each prescription form should be considered equivalent to a ‘£20 note’. Teams should then consider how an equivalent ‘package of cash’ would be handled within the pharmacy, the storage of it until it is taken by the staff member to BSO or handed over to a courier driver for onward transportation to BSO.
In a number of instances prescription submissions were not received by BSO for several days after they left the pharmacy and the submissions were subsequently classified as ‘missing’ while en-route to BSO.
Factors involved in several of these cases included
i) the prescription submission package intended for transportation to BSO being mistaken for drugs being returned to a pharmaceutical wholesaler.
ii) illegible or missing address details and
iii) poor packaging contributing to transportation difficulties.
Contractors and staff are also asked to note the GDPR obligations associated with the handling of the confidential patient information contained on prescription forms while they are in the pharmacy and en-route in a submission to BSO.
Contractors can consider the following Do’s and Don’ts. You may wish to make all staff who are involved in any process associated with prescriptions being prepared for submission to BSO aware:
Do’s
Ensure pharmacy staff follow the BSO guidance here and here when coding, prepping, bundling and documenting the submission of prescription forms prior to submission to BSO for payment.
Ensure prescriptions are ready for submission to BSO on-time and in accordance with the schedule. Please note: failure to do so may result in BSO not being able to make your payment at month-end.
Ensure that prescriptions being transferred to BSO are securely contained within a robust container (secure box/secure package etc).
Ensure that the BSO address (and/or any relevant courier labelling) is clearly visible and securely retained on to the container.
Ensure the container is clearly identifiable to all relevant pharmacy staff as the BSO prescription submission irrespective of whether it is transported to BSO by a staff member or a courier. The use of ‘high visibility’ colour-coded security tape on the container may be helpful in this.
Separate and securely store the prescription submission package/container away from any other packages/parcels/wholesaler boxes that staff and/or 3rd party drivers have access to in the pharmacy.
Only authorised pharmacy staff should be permitted to hand over the BSO prescription submission to the pharmacy staff member or the courier transporting the prescription submission to BSO.
If using a courier, ensure that all processes are followed before the courier leaves the pharmacy with the BSO prescription submission.
The prescription submission must be ready by 9am of the first day of the agreed collection period.
Ensure that an authorised and ID identifiable member of the courier staff is collecting the prescription submission.
If the courier does not arrive within the agreed collection period, they and the BSO should be contacted urgently, with the aim of getting the submission to BSO on time.
The submission box should have a tracking label clearly placed on to the box, and any possible previous delivery information on the box should be removed to negate any confusion to the driver.
Securely retain all documentation confirming the collection of each prescription submission.
Contact BSO if, for any reason, your prescription submission is not transferred to BSO within the 3-day submission period required by BSO.
Don’ts
Do not hand any prescription submissions over to any individuals that are not authorised to transfer/transport prescriptions to BSO on your behalf.
Do not hand any prescription submissions over to any individuals if you have any doubts about the prescription submission reaching BSO.
BSO wish to acknowledge the cooperation of those contractors that submit prescriptions in accordance with the set timelines and requirements.
Please contact CPNI office if you require any further advice regarding this.
Kind regards,
SENT ON BEHALF OF GERARD GREENE Chief Executive
Dear Contractor,
You will be aware of the announcement on Monday 31 March 2025 that community pharmacy contractual and funding arrangements have been agreed for 2024/25 and 2025/26 in England.
Further information on the English 2024/25 and 2025/26 contractual and funding arrangements is available here7(70%). The agreement reached is the result of negotiations between NHS (England), DHSC, and Community Pharmacy England (CPE) that began last year and concluded recently.
The economic report produced by IQVIA and Frontier Economics, that was used to provide the economic evidence in those negotiations is available
Whilst the agreement relates to English community pharmacy contractual and funding arrangements, CPNI has nonetheless written to the Health Minister, Mr Mike Nesbitt MLA reiterating the need for negotiations to take place between DoH(NI), SPPG and CPNI so that contractual and funding arrangements for community pharmacy services in Northern Ireland can be negotiated and agreed. The need to mitigate the impact of the imminent increases to Employer NIC and NMW/NLW costs in 2025/26 was also raised in the letter.
Please do not hesitate to contact CPNI offices should you require any additional information or clarification on the English announcement or in relation to community pharmacy funding matters in Northern Ireland.
CPNI issued contractor emails on 10 March 2025 and 24 March 2025 regarding a pilot to support community pharmacist access to Independent Prescriber (IP) training by providing funding for those who agree to act as a DPP. Information on the pilot is available here and on the NICPLD IP webpage.
A final information webinar will be held tomorrow (1 April 2025) 6.30-7.30pm.
SUMMARY
Community pharmacists who wish to apply for the NICPLD Independent Prescribing (IP) course can submit applications up to 15 April 2025.
To undertake IP training, community pharmacists must have a Designated Prescribing Practitioner (DPP).
In recognition of the difficulties faced by community pharmacists in securing a DPP, a pilot has now been launched in which funding of £1500 is available for up to 50 eligible DPPs who agree to support a community pharmacist.
NICPLD has indicated that a number of DPPs have come forward to indicate that they are willing to support a community pharmacist trainee.
The pilot funding will only be available for those commencing training in August 2025.
A final information webinar for prospective applicants or DPPs will be held tomorrow 1 April 2025 6.30-7.30pm with registration available here or by emailing nicpld-prescribing@qub.ac.uk.
ACTION
Contractors are asked to note the information provided above and share with relevant members of the team, including any community pharmacists considering IP training, and any existing community pharmacist IPs who may consider acting as a DPP under the support scheme.
Queries on the DPP support scheme can be sent to nicpld-prescribing@qub.ac.uk. Alternatively, please do not hesitate to contact the CPNI team or email Ennis.
Kind regards
SENT ON BEHALF OF GERARD GREENE Chief Executive
WhatsApp Business Terms of Service can be found here and privacy policy hereUCA-NI Privacy Policy We take your privacy seriously and do not share or sell any personal details with third parties for commercial purposes. If you have any questions, please contact the CPNI office. You can withdraw your consent to be contacted at any time by calling 028 9069 0444 or by emailing info@communitypharmacyni.co.uk. CPNI Data Protection Policy and Data Retention policy can be found Click Here
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
