Download - October 2015 CPN
CPNCommunity Pharmacy News – October 2015
National flu service gets underway PSNC and NPA answer your questions live as service
gets green light
Prescription direction poster | Showcasing local services | Eligible flu groups guide
2 Community Pharmacy News – October 2015
services and commissioning The healThcare landscape lpcs
NHS England publishes flu service documentation
Community pharmacy contractors can now access the necessary paperwork
to begin providing the national flu vaccination service.
Resources round upBriefings
PSNC has produced a number of briefings to help
pharmacy teams with the service, including a poster
showing the process to follow, responsive lines to
use when faced with negativity and template radio
scripts for promotion.
These can all be found on the Briefings Database
(psnc.org.uk/briefings)
Patient communication materials
PSNC has developed a range of patient
communication materials which are available from
psnc.org.uk/flupatientcomms
PSNC has also been working to obtain translations
of these materials and those we have so far can be
found at the above link.
We are continuing to publish resources to help
pharmacy teams and LPCs to promote the service
and these will all be available from psnc.org.uk/flu
Q. The national PGD refers to groups of
eligible patients not listed in Annex A
of the service specification, e.g.
morbidly obese patients. Does this
mean pharmacists can administer
vaccines to these additional groups of
patients?
No. Only patients who fall into a group
listed in Annex A of the service
specification can be vaccinated as part of
the service. This is clearly stated on page
4 of the national PGD.
Q. Can I administer flu vaccinations at
premises other than the pharmacy
premises?
If a pharmacy receives a request from a
long-stay residential care home or other
long-stay care facility to vaccinate a
resident/patient away from the
pharmacy premises and approval is given
by NHS England then a contractor can
provide vaccinations at a suitable
location within the care home or care
facility (contractors must follow the
protocols set out in Annex C of the
service specification). However, the
service does not allow pharmacists to
provide off-site vaccinations for any
other group of patients at any other
premises.
Q. Should pharmacy teams verify the
eligibility of patients requesting flu
vaccination under the service?
In many circumstances pharmacy teams
will know the patients who are
requesting vaccination under the service
and they will therefore be able to
determine whether a patient falls within
an eligible group as a result of
knowledge of the patient and their
patient medication record. There will
however be circumstances where the
patient is not known to the pharmacy
team. In that case it will be necessary for
the pharmacist to talk to the patient and
to use their professional judgement to
determine whether the patient falls
within an eligible group. As part of the
service patients must sign a form which
contains a declaration that the
information they have given in relation
to the service is correct and complete.
Frequently Asked Questions
As of 16th September, pharmacy contractors that fully meet the
requirements for provision of the Community Pharmacy Seasonal
Influenza Vaccination Advanced Service can provide the service. This
follows the amendment of the Secretary of State Directions and the
publication of the national Patient Group Direction (PGD) on the NHS
England website.
Links to the service specification, national PGD and Secretary of State
Directions (which provide the legal basis for provision of the service) are
available from psnc.org.uk/flu
Once contractors are fully ready to provide the service, they must notify
NHS England of their intention to begin providing the service by
completing a notification form on the NHS BSA website (a link to the form
is available at psnc.org.uk/flu). PSNC has produced a detailed guidance
document to support the preparation process and it includes a checklist
which contractors can print out and work through to ensure they have
everything they need in place to successfully provide the service.
PSNC Briefing 053/15: Guidance on the Seasonal Influenza Vaccination
Advanced Service can be found at psnc.org.uk/flubriefing
Alastair Buxton, Director of NHS Services at PSNC, said:
“The publication of the service specification and the completion of the
regulatory changes mean community pharmacy teams can now start
offering NHS flu vaccinations. Our guidance talks contractors through the
preparation for the service step by step so we hope this will not have been
too arduous. This is a very exciting time for community pharmacy and I
look forward to hearing how pharmacy teams across England are getting
behind the service and showing patients and the NHS what we can do!”
psnc.org.uk 3
funding and sTaTisTics conTracT and iT dispensing and supplypsnc’s work
More than 1,000 people joined a webinar on the national flu
vaccination service held by PSNC and the NPA last month
(16th September).
Attendees first heard about the official documentation and
requirements for provision of the service from PSNC’s Director of
NHS Services, Alastair Buxton, and then it was over to Leyla
Hannbeck, the NPA’s Head of Pharmacy Services, for support with
the practicalities of getting started.
The final section of the webinar was dedicated to viewers’
questions but, with over 200 submitted, unfortunately not
everyone’s questions could be answered. PSNC has now picked
out the most commonly asked questions and added them to our
flu FAQs page; a selection of these new FAQs have also been
replicated in the banner across the bottom of this double page.
With the majority of attendees rating the webinar at least 4 out
of 5, the feedback we received on the night was equally positive.
So if you missed out, or just want to watch again, you will be
happy to hear that an on-demand recording of the webinar is now
available to watch at: psnc.org.uk/webinar
Flu vaccination service webinar now availableon-demandCommunity pharmacy teams can now access an online recording of the
recent joint webinar on the national flu vaccination service.
Q. What does the service specification
mean when it says a contractor should
seek to ensure that the service is
available throughout the pharmacy’s
contracted opening hours?
That wording reflects NHS England’s
desire that the service is very accessible
for patients and that there is therefore
continuity of service provision across the
full opening hours of the pharmacy. In
previously commissioned local
vaccination services, good availability of
the service across the week was an
aspect of the service that was highly
valued by patients. Once a contractor
starts to provide the service they must
ensure, in so far as is practicable, that the
service is available throughout the
pharmacy’s core and supplementary
opening hours.
Q. What are the knowledge and skills
required in order to provide a
vaccination service?
The National Minimum Standards for
Immunisation Training and the associated
Core Curriculum for Immunisation
Training set out the knowledge and skills
that healthcare professionals undertaking
vaccination services need to have. NHS
England has determined that pharmacists
providing the flu vaccination service need
to attend face-to-face training for both
injection technique and basic life support
training every two years. This
requirement means that a pharmacist
who undertook face-to-face training for
both injection technique and basic life
support in 2014 would not need to
undertake face-to-face training in 2015.
Assuming the service continues to be
commissioned in 2016, the pharmacist
would then need to undertake face-to-
face training in order to continue to
provide the service. Pharmacists who last
undertook face-to-face training in 2013
would need to undertake face-to-face
training in 2015, prior to providing the flu
vaccination service.
Q. How do I claim payment for provision
of the service?
Contractors must complete the claim
form for the service at the end of each
month and submit this to the Pricing
Authority with their script bundle
submission (see psnc.org.uk/flu for a link
to the form).
The full list of FAQs can be found at
psnc.org.uk/flufaqs
Follow @PSNCNews for the latest pharmacy news, including priceconcession updates, funding announcements, and usefulresources.
You can also find PSNC's Director of NHS Services, Alastair Buxton,Head of Communications and Public Affairs, Zoe Smeaton, andPharmacy and NHS Policy Officer, Rosie Taylor, on Twitter.
Are you on Twitter?
4 Community Pharmacy News – October 2015
services and commissioning The healThcare landscape lpcs
Factsheet: Eligible groups for the flu vaccination
Eligible Groups Further details
All people aged 65 years or over Including those becoming age 65 years by 31 March 2016.
All pregnant women (includingthose women who becomepregnant during the flu season)
Pregnant women at any stage of pregnancy (first, second or third trimesters).
People living in long-stayresidential care homes or otherlong-stay care facilities
Vaccination is recommended for people living in long-stay residential care homes or other long-stay care facilities where rapid spread is likely to follow introduction of infection and cause highmorbidity and mortality. This does not include, for instance, prisons, young offender institutions,or university halls of residence.
Carers People who are in receipt of a carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an older ordisabled person whose welfare may be at risk if the carer falls ill. Note that care workers who arepaid to provide care to people (for example in their own homes or in care homes) are not eligiblefor vaccination under the NHS Flu Vaccination Service – this would be an occupational healthresponsibility which should be funded by the person’s employer.
Household contacts ofimmunocompromised individuals
People who are household contacts, of immunocompromised individuals, specifically individualswho expect to share living accommodation on most days over the winter and, therefore, forwhom continuing close contact is unavoidable.
People aged from 18 years to less than 65 years of age with one or more serious medical condition(s) outlined below:
Chronic (long term) respiratorydisease, such as severe asthma,chronic obstructive pulmonarydisease (COPD) or bronchitis
Asthma that requires continuous or repeated use of inhaled or systemic steroids or withprevious exacerbations requiring hospital admission. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) including chronic bronchitis and emphysema;bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis, interstitial lung fibrosis, pneumoconiosis and bronchopulmonarydysplasia (BPD).
Chronic heart disease, such asheart failure
Congenital heart disease, hypertension with cardiac complications, chronic heart failure,individuals requiring regular medication and/or follow-up for ischaemic heart disease.
Chronic kidney disease at stagethree, four or five
Chronic kidney disease at stage 3, 4 or 5, chronic kidney failure, nephrotic syndrome, kidneytransplantation.
Chronic liver disease Cirrhosis, biliary atresia, chronic hepatitis.
Chronic neurological disease,such as Parkinson’s disease ormotor neurone disease, orlearning disability
Stroke, transient ischaemic attack (TIA). Conditions in which respiratory function may becompromised due to neurological disease (e.g. polio syndrome sufferers).Clinicians should offer immunisation, based on individual assessment, to clinically vulnerableindividuals including those with cerebral palsy, learning disability, multiple sclerosis and relatedor similar conditions; or hereditary and degenerative disease of the nervous system or muscles;or severe neurological disability.
Diabetes Type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes requiring insulin or oral hypoglycaemic drugs, diet controlleddiabetes.
A weakened immune system dueto disease (such as HIV/AIDS) ortreatment (such as cancertreatment)
Immunosuppression due to disease or treatment, including patients undergoing chemotherapyleading to immunosuppression, bone marrow transplant, HIV infection at all stages, multiplemyeloma or genetic disorders affecting the immune system (e.g. IRAK-4, NEMO, complementdeficiency).Individuals treated with or likely to be treated with systemic steroids for more than a month at adose equivalent to prednisolone at 20mg or more per day (any age).It is difficult to define at what level of immunosuppression a patient could be considered to be at agreater risk of the serious consequences of influenza and should be offered seasonal influenzavaccination. This decision is best made on an individual basis and left to the patient’s clinician.Some immune-compromised patients may have a suboptimal immunological response to the vaccine.
Splenic dysfunction This also includes conditions such as homozygous sickle cell disease and coeliac syndrome thatmay lead to splenic dysfunction.
The national flu vaccination service covers those patients most at risk from influenza aged 18
years and older, as listed below. This list is taken from PSNC Briefing 053/15: Guidance on the
Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Advanced Service, which includes comprehensive guidance on
preparing to start the service. Download the full briefing from psnc.org.uk/flubriefing
psnc.org.uk 5
funding and sTaTisTics conTracT and iT dispensing and supplypsnc’s work
Patients have the right to choose freely which pharmacy dispenses
their prescriptions. NHS England has written to all general practices
and pharmacies to ask for their help in ensuring that all patients are
aware of this right and can exercise it without influence from their
general practice or from a pharmacy.
NHS England is concerned that, in a small number of cases, general
practices or pharmacies are seeking to influence inappropriately
which pharmacy dispenses a patient’s medicines, or which
pharmacy a patient nominates to receive their prescriptions
electronically. They have been working in collaboration with both
GP and pharmacy representative bodies, as well as NHS Protect, to
look at ways to ensure patient’s rights are not undermined.
NHS England states that we all have a duty to ensure patients’
rights under the NHS Constitution are met and NHS England take
very seriously any attempt to undermine this. Action will be taken
against individuals and contractors to protect patients’ rights.
In order to ensure patients are fully informed of their choice NHS
England is asking all general practices and pharmacies to display
the poster on pages 6 and 7 prominently, as close as practicable
to the location where patients receive prescriptions. Pharmacycontractors can obtain additional copies of the poster from PSNC
by contacting [email protected].
Distance selling and internet
pharmacies should display this
information prominently on their
websites and take reasonable steps to
bring it to the attention of all patients,
for example, by including a copy of this
poster with dispensed medicines that
are delivered to patients.
If you are aware of a situation where
the right of patients to choose where
their prescriptions are dispensed is
being influenced NHS England would encourage you to
take this up, in the first instance, with your Local Medical
Committee and Local Pharmaceutical Committee (LPC). If the
situation cannot be resolved it should be escalated to NHS
England via the local office or via
[email protected] (including ‘Prescription
Direction’ in the subject heading).
You can download the letter and poster from NHS England frompsnc.org.uk
NHS England notice: raising awareness of patient choice
You have the right to collect medicines that havebeen prescribed for you from any pharmacy youchoose.Your choice should not be influenced by lettersyou receive in the post, or by any doctor orpharmacist.�%��+���(',��,������' %�'��"��+(&�('��"+�,*0"' �,("'�%-�'���0(-*����"+"('�('�.!"�!�)!�*&��0�0(-.(-%��%"$��,(�-+���(-���'��(',��,������' %�'��"'�,!���(%%(."' �.�0+ ��%% �������������������&�"% ���' %�'���(',��,-+�'!+�'�,�.",!�10(-*�)*�+�*"),"(' �0(-*��!("��2�"'�,!��+-�#��,�%"'���(+, ���������' %�'�������(/����������",�!��������
Your prescription: your choice
Check34 got its first upgrade at the
beginning of October and now provides
contractors with even more information on
their NHS dispensing performance.
A new key performance indicator (KPI)
showing how the ‘EPS vs. Paper’ dispensing
split is changing over time has been added.
More information on the key performance
indicators and how they impact on monthly
reimbursement is included. Other changes
improve the way dispensing trend data is
presented and make the dashboard more
user friendly.
Nearly 3,000 pharmacies can now sign in to
Check34 and see their dispensing data. The
upgrade follows suggestions from users for
improvements. Other changes include:
• The information boxes on script
switches, MURs and NMS at the top of
the dashboard have been clarified to
include monthly and annual figures and
fees.
• Trend lines have been added for national,
local and other comparators, and the
period can be adjusted for 12, 9, 6 or 3
months. Additionally, 13 months data
now appears, allowing year-on-year
comparisons to be easily made.
• A list of Expensive Items (over £300) can
be called up by scrolling over the bar
chart on the Expensive Items KPI.
Check34 provides even more...Check34, the online service that enables contractors to view 12 key
indicators showing the performance of their NHS dispensing business, has
been upgraded to allow even better performance tracking.
How to get aCheck34 account• All NPA members in England have
Check34 as part of their NPA
subscription package for at least 12
months. Go to the NPA website at
npa.co.uk/check34 for more
information and to apply for a
Check34 account.
• The NPA is also looking after
subscription sales for Check34 to
non-NPA member pharmacies.
Contact [email protected] or call
Katie Smith on 01727 858687 for
subscription rates and more
information.
• CCA members who wish to find out
more about Check34 can email
contact the PSNC office on 0203
1220 820.Clicking on the information icon next to the KPIdescription gives detailed information on what itmeasures and how it can impact on reimbursement.
Pull up a list ofthe ExpensiveItems you havedispensed at theclick of a mouse.
Yo
ur
pre
scri
pti
on
: yo
ur
cho
ice
Yo
u h
ave
the
rig
ht
to c
olle
ct m
edic
ines
th
at h
ave
bee
n p
resc
rib
ed f
or
you
fro
m a
ny
ph
arm
acy
you
cho
ose
.
Yo
ur
cho
ice
sho
uld
no
t b
e in
flu
ence
d b
y le
tter
syo
u r
ecei
ve in
th
e p
ost
, or
by
any
do
cto
r o
rp
har
mac
ist.
Ple
ase
co
nta
ct N
HS
En
gla
nd
if so
me
on
e is try
ing
to
influ
en
ce
yo
ur
de
cis
ion
on
wh
ich
ph
arm
acy y
ou
wo
uld
lik
e to
use
.
Yo
u c
an
co
nta
ct N
HS
En
gla
nd
in
th
e fo
llow
ing
wa
ys:
Ca
ll: 0
30
0 3
11
22
33
Em
ail:
e
ng
lan
d.c
on
tactu
s@
nh
s.n
et
(with
‘yo
ur
pre
scrip
tio
n: yo
ur
ch
oic
e’ i
n th
e s
ub
ject lin
e)
Po
st: N
HS
En
gla
nd
, P
O B
ox 1
67
38
, R
ed
ditch
, B
97
9P
T
8 Community Pharmacy News – October 2015
services and commissioning The healThcare landscape lpcs
Devon pharmacy teams help more than
8,000 patients
The evaluation of a ‘Pharmacy First’ scheme
in Devon (which included a minor ailments
service delivered via a PGD, a winter ailments
service and an emergency supply service)
has found that more than 8,000 patients
were helped during its first five months.
The scheme, funded by the Prime Minister’s
Challenge Fund, aimed to make accessing
prescription medicines more convenient for
patients and reduce pressure on out of
hours services.
Read the Pharmacy First evaluation in full
at: psnc.org.uk/pharmacyfirst
Sheffield’s joint working pilot
A number of pharmacy contractors and GP
surgeries in Sheffield previously took part
in a pilot designed to promote and develop
joint working, with the aim of enhancing
patient care. A bid for funding under the
Prime Minister’s Challenge Fund has now
been successful, allowing roll out of the
scheme across the city from October 2015.
The pilot was commissioned by Sheffield
Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and
included four pilot sites, with a further
three sites being identified to carry out
associated work.
Sheffield CCG’s evaluation of the service
shows that positive outcomes have been
achieved with the pharmacists practising
their unique skill set and taking on tasks
that GPs had been performing. Safer use
of medicines was also reported both in
prescribing and patient use.
Showcasing pharmacy servicesIn this section of Community Pharmacy News we showcase some of the
work pharmacy teams, LPCs and PSNC have been doing on services.
Rotherham Retailer Awards
The team at Abbey Pharmacy has
found a lovely way to get local press
coverage for pharmacy – win the
Customer Service Award at the 2015
Rotherham Retail Awards! The team
demonstrated their superb
assistance to patients and excellent
product knowledge during a mystery
shopper test.
Community Pharmacy Humber
Awards
PSNC Chief Executive Sue Sharpe
joined over 100 guests for the
Community Pharmacy Humber
Awards Dinner last month where
Newland Community Pharmacy,
known for their work on initiatives
such as the Carer-Friendly Pharmacy
pilot, received the Pharmacy Team
of the Year Award.
LPCs can find the latest events and
communications in the LPC
resources centre at psnc.org.uk
Award-winning pharmacy teams New Health mattersresourcePublic Health England (PHE) has launched a
new resource, ‘Health matters’, which is
designed to support commissioning and the
delivering of services across local areas.
Health matters: smoking and quitting in
England (dld.bz/dUBej) is the first in a series
of these resources to be published with
further editions planned to cover PHE's seven
priority areas: tobacco, obesity, alcohol,
antimicrobial resistance, tuberculosis, early
years and dementia, as well as other areas of
PHE's mandated functions.
LPCs may find the statistics and links to other
resources it provides useful as supporting
evidence when building business cases for
locally commissioned services.
PSNC has been developing some prospectuses to help introduce
pharmacy services to commissioners: each one highlights a
healthcare challenge and explains how community pharmacy can
provide a solution.
These can be found, along with further resources and support, on
our Think Pharmacy webpage: psnc.org.uk/thinkpharmacy
They also appear in our ‘Commissioners Portal’ which was
launched earlier this year as a way to direct commissioners to
useful information and resources about pharmacy services.
Additionally, our new ‘Pharmacy Commissioning’ email newsletter
highlights news and resources that may be of particular interest
to people working in local commissioning organisations.
LPCs may like to direct local commissioners to the
Commissioners Portal (psnc.org.uk/commissioners); and ask
them to sign up for the Pharmacy Commissioning emails using
the form on the main page.
Working with local commissioners
Prime Minister’s Challenge Fund updates
Interventions
made during
Pharmacy
First Service
MinorAilmentsvia PGD
30%
WinterAilments
40%
EmergencySupply
30%
psnc.org.uk 9
funding and sTaTisTics conTracT and iT dispensing and supplypsnc’s work
Latest NHS technology developments
NHS England has revealed that more than 3.7m repeat
prescriptions were ordered online and over 3m people registered
for record access in the first quarter of 2015/16.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said that by 2016 he wants all
patients to be able to access their own GP electronic record online
in full, seeing not just a summary of their allergies and medication
but blood test results, appointment records and medical histories.
GPs will be provided with instant electronic discharge summaries
from hospitals for all acute and day care patients from October
2015. NHS England has said that this will ensure information is
immediately available at the time of patient handover.
Transforming urgent and emergency care services
NHS England has published Transforming urgent and emergency care
services in England – Safer, faster, better: good practice in delivering
urgent and emergency care (dld.bz/dUAV7) in which they state
community pharmacies can make valuable contributions to local
health communities’ urgent care programmes. The report cites a
number of examples of community pharmacy services that can
reduce pressure on GPs and enhance patient safety, including
medicines reviews, repeat prescription management and providing
urgent access to medicines.
5m at high risk of diabetes
Five million people in England have blood sugar levels indicating
a high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, according to a new
report (dld.bz/dUAV2) published by Public Health England
(PHE).
An evidence review (dld.bz/dUAV5) also published by PHE
shows programmes similar to the NHS Diabetes Prevention
Programme can be successful in preventing 26% of people at
high risk of Type 2 diabetes from going on to develop the
condition. People supported by diabetes prevention
programmes lose on average 1.57kg more weight than those
not on such a programme.
Call for whooping cough immunisation of pregnant women
PHE is calling for pregnant women to have the whooping cough
(pertussis) vaccine in order to protect themselves and their
babies from this serious disease as new data (dld.bz/dUAVA)
shows that in 2014/2015 whooping cough vaccine coverage in
pregnant women averaged 56.4% in England.
Recently published data (dld.bz/dUAVB) shows that reported
whooping cough cases are still at raised levels in England,
meaning that babies born to unvaccinated mothers remain
vulnerable to the disease in their first few weeks of life.
PSNC regularly receives questions from LPCs and pharmacy
contractors about what is going on in the wider health and care
landscape beyond community pharmacy. In this round-up we
cover the latest news from the past month
More than 3m people haveaccess to their GP records online
Only 56.4% ofpregnant womenwere vaccinatedagainst whoopingcough in 2014/15
People supported by diabetes prevention programmeslose on average 1.57kg more weight than those not
PSNC pushes plan for future pharmacy servicesPSNC has
continued to
promote its
Pharmacy 5 Point
Forward Plan,
which sets out five
national
community
pharmacy services which the NHS could
commission now to ease pressure on
urgent care services, this month.
Working with partner organisations PSNC
hosted a fringe event at the Labour Party
Conference which was attended by
Parliamentarians, commissioners and
charities. The event was chaired by Sir
Kevin Barron MP, chair of the All-PartyPharmacy Group, and PSNC set out the
need for the NHS to make better use of
community pharmacy, highlighting the
services within the 5 Point Forward Plan.
Sir Kevin was supportive of the roles that
pharmacy can play, calling in particular for
a national minor ailments service, and
delegates discussed the need to include
pharmacy in local winter services planning
and for Health and Wellbeing Boards to
have pharmacy representation.
As CPN went to press PSNC was preparing
to host a similar event at the Conservative
Party Conference to be hosted by Ben
Gummer MP, the Parliamentary Under-
Secretary of State for Care Quality.
Also this month PSNC will be highlighting
its plans for community pharmacy in a
response to the Royal Pharmaceutical
Society (RPS) and National Association of
Primary Care (NAPC) consultation on
improving integration of pharmacies and
GP practice. Although PSNC agrees with
many of the suggestions and principles, it
disagrees strongly with one of the key
principles in the consultation, warning that
proposals which could see an end to the
national contractual arrangements for
community pharmacies could put the
network and the vital service it gives to
patients every day at risk.
You can read more about the party
conference events as well as PSNC’s full
response to the RPS/NAPC consultation atpsnc.org.uk
All details correct at time of printing.
No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the PSNC.
Produced for the PSNC by Communications International Group. ©. PSNC.
Colour repro and printing by Truprint Media, Margate.
The publishers accept no responsibility for any statement made in signed contributions or
in those reproduced from any other source.
Communications International Group
Linen Hall, 162-168 Regent Street, London W1B 5TB
Tel: 020 7434 1530 Fax: 020 7437 0915
Distributedfor PSNC by:
10 Community Pharmacy News – October 2015
psnc’s work
In this section of Community Pharmacy News we have highlighted some keynotices for you and your team to be aware of in the coming weeks and months.
Pharmacy notice board
Consultation Skills newsletterThe Centre for Pharmacy PostgraduateEducation (CPPE) has published aConsultation Skills for Pharmacy Practice(CSfPP) newsletter, to update readers onthe latest CSfPP developments.
The first issue includes information onwhat's new, what's on the horizon, and topmessages to share with colleagues. Findout how to get your copy at: dld.bz/dT4ZJ
Reminder: free EPS masterclassesSystem-specific training is being made available to allthose working in community pharmacy.This training will be relevant for counter staff as well asdispensing technicians, pharmacists and locums.Over 800 training events will be held throughout England with at least oneevent per PMR system in each LPC area during the next year.The events are being organised by the EPS Team at the Health andSocial Care Information Centre (HSCIC), in conjunction with LPCs,dispensing system suppliers and the Pricing Authority.PSNC encourages pharmacy teams to attend at least one event to ensurethey can get the most out of EPS, understand their PMR capability, andare prepared for the future. See psnc.org.uk/epstraining
Pfizer and HospiramergerPfizer has confirmed that as of3rd September 2015, Pfizer andHospira are now operating as asingle organisation.
Further information canbe found in Pfizer's letter whichis available from dld.bz/dSYn2
Self Care Week returnsThe annual awareness campaign Self Care Week will runfrom 16th to 22nd November, and pharmacy teams are beingencouraged to get involved.Self Care Week, which is run by the Self Care Forum, aimsto help people understand what they can do to look aftertheir own health and that of their family, as well as living ashealthily as possible.The campaign also reminds people to ensure they have astock of medicines at home and that they canget advice on symptoms from their pharmacist.Further information and resources can befound at: dld.bz/dTe8B
Age restrictions for nicotine inhaling productsFrom 1st October 2015, it will be a criminal offence to sell nicotine inhaling products toanyone under the age of 18 years. The Nicotine Inhaling Products (Age of Sale and ProxyPuchasing) Regulations 2015 generally cover e-cigarettes, certain components parts and e-liquids that contain nicotine.The Department of Health, in conjunction with the MHRA and the Chartered TradingStandards Institute, has produced guidance on this subject which is available, along withfurther information, from dld.bz/dT5bj
The healThcare landscape lpcs
psnc.org.uk 11
services and commissioningfunding and sTaTisTics conTracT and iT dispensing and supply
1. How should I endorse a prescription for
generic insulin?
Because insulins are not listed in Part VIIIA
of the Drug Tariff, endorsement of the
brand name/supplier, pack size dispensed
and the net price before discount and
excluding VAT should also be required. This
is to ensure correct reimbursement at the
manufacturer’s list price. If you do not
endorse the product dispensed, and there
are multiple products which meet the
generic description, the prescription will be
returned for clarification, thus delaying
reimbursement.
For further information on endorsement,
please visit psnc.org.uk/endorsement-
guidance
2. I have dispensed the final batch from a
patient’s repeat prescription. How do I
submit the repeat authorisation form to
the Pricing Authority?
Repeat authorisation (RA) forms should be
submitted to the Pricing Authority at the
end of the month in which all batch issue
forms have either been dispensed or
expired or the medication is no longer
required.
It is important that forms are sorted for
submission in the correct order as detailed
on the reverse of Form FP34C. In months
where RA forms are being submitted, tick
the appropriate box on the FP34C
submission document to indicate this.
There is no need to declare the number of
RA forms submitted.
3. How do the payments for repeat
dispensing work?
In addition to the fees and allowances paid
for dispensing all prescriptions,
pharmacies receive a repeat dispensing
annual payment of £1,500 (£125 per
month).
This payment is made to pharmacy
contractors automatically by the Pricing
Authority every month, whether they have
supplied repeat dispensing items or not.
Neither the contractor nor the local NHS
England team needs to do anything to
claim/authorise the payments.
Look out for more frequently asked
questions next month.
Ask PSNCThe PSNC Dispensing and Supply Team give pharmacy teams support and
advice on a range of topics related to the Drug Tariff and reimbursement.
Questions asked in recent months have included:
High Court judgement on Lyrica – update
Pharmacy teams may be aware of the recent High
Court judgement regarding Pfizer’s patent claim for
Lyrica. The judgment, which may be subject to appeal,
has not affected the situation for pharmacists and GPs.
At the time of going to press, NHS England has yet to
consider whether to change its guidance which
requires pharmacists to refer generic prescriptions
back to the prescriber, if they are aware it is for
neuropathic pain, and prescribers to prescribe the
brand for neuropathic pain. Pharmacists should
therefore follow the guidance until further notice.
PSNC will stress to NHS England and the Department
of Health the importance of providing timely, clear and
unequivocal guidance to pharmacists and GPs as and
when the situation changes. Please refer to the PSNC
website for the latest developments.
Sucralfate tablets and suspension removed fromDrug Tariff
With effect from 1st October 2015, Antepsin 1g/5ml oral
suspension and Antepsin 1g tablets have been removed from Part
VIIIA of the Drug Tariff.
If a prescription is received for either product, the prescriber will
need to be contacted to be made aware that the licensed
branded products are not available and, where appropriate, asked
to issue a generic prescription for the unlicensed Sucralfate.
To ensure correct reimbursement, the generic paper
prescriptions will need to specify “unlicensed special”. paper
prescriptions of unlicensed specials also need to be placed into
the red separator. For EPS prescriptions the GP will need to select
"Sucralfate.. (Special Order).
For further guidance on endorsing prescriptions for unlicensed
medicines, please visit psnc.org.uk/specials
When pharmacy teams receive NHS prescriptions they must check whether the items prescribed are allowed on the NHS before dispensing. If the
items are not allowed, the pharmacy contractor may not be paid for them.
Pharmacy teams can check whether medicinal products and medical devices are allowed using the Drug Tariff, or the PSNC’s ‘Dispensing on an FP10
database’ (psnc.org.uk/FP10database).
Can it be dispensed on an FP10?
If you would like more information on any
of the topics covered, the PSNC Dispensing
and Supply Team will be happy to help
(0844 381 4180 or 0203 1220 810 or e-mail
dispensing and supply services and commissioning The healThcare landscape
PSNC websiteFor up to date information and news on community pharmacy issues, visit the PSNC website at psnc.org.uk
PSNC Community Pharmacy News is published by:The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, Times House, 5 Bravingtons Walk, London N1 9AWCommunity Pharmacy News is edited by:Melinda Mabbutt who can be contacted at the above address or by email at: [email protected] © PSNCPSNC Office: 0844 381 4180 or 0203 122 0810
Drug Tariff WatchBelow is a quick summary of some changes due to take place from 1st November 2015
Part VIIIA additions
SC Special Container
• Budesonide 9mg modified-release
tablets (30) Category C - Cortiment
• Etonogestrel 68mg implant SC (1)
Category C - Nexplanon
• Levocarnitine 1.5mg/5ml oral solution
paediatric SC (20ml) Category A
• Neomycin 500mg tablets (100) Category
C - AMCo
• Raltegravir 100mg granules sachets (60)
Category C - Isentress
• Tretinoin 10mg capsules (100) Category
C - Intrapharm Laboratories Ltd
Part VIIIA amendments
• Aminophylline 250mg/10ml solution for
injection ampoules (10) is changing to
Category C Hameln Pharmaceuticals Ltd
• Amlodipine 10mg/5ml oral solution
sugar free (150ml) is changing to
Category A
• Amlodipine 5mg/5ml oral solution
sugar free (150ml) is changing to
Category A
• Ascorbic acid powder (100g) is
changing to Category C - J M Loveridge
Ltd
• Ketoprofen 50mg capsules (112) is
changing to Category C - Tiloket
• Lidocaine 200mg/20ml (1%) solution
for injection ampoules (10) is changing
to Category C - Hameln Pharmaceuticals
Ltd
Part VIIIA deletions
If a medicinal product has been removed
from Part VIIIA and has no other pack
sizes listed, it can continue to be
dispensed, but it will need to be endorsed
fully (i.e. brand or supplier name from
whom the product was purchased and
the pack size from which the item was
dispensed and price paid) in future.
• Calcium acetate 667mg capsules (200)
Category C - PhosLo
• Carbamazepine 100mg chewable
tablets sugar free (56) Category C -
Tegretol Chewtabs
• Clomipramine 75mg modified-release
tablets (28) Category C - Anafranil SR
• Crotamiton 10% lotion (100ml)
Category C - Eurax
• Salbutamol 4mg modified-release
capsules (56) Category C - Ventmax SR
• Salbutamol 8mg modified-release
capsules (56) Category C - Ventmax SR
Part IX Deletions
It is important to take careful note of removals from Part IX because if you dispense a deleted product, prescriptions will be returned
as disallowed and therefore payment will not be made for dispensing the item.
Brand Product description Product code
MacGregorHealthcare Ltd
Qufora Onestep Intermittent Catheter pack of 30, Male, 6-18 351406-351418
Qufora Onestep Intermittent Catheter pack of 30, Female, 6-16 351206-351216
DressPore 7cm x 8cm (wound contact pad 4cm x 5cm + border 1.5cm) n/a
10cm x 11cm (wound contact pad 6cm x 6cm + border 2.0cm - 2.5cm) n/a
11cm x 15cm (wound contact pad 6cm x 10cm + border 2.5cm) n/a
Dressfilm 6cm x 7cm n/a
12cm x 12cm n/a
Tegaderm Matrix 8cm x 10cm n/a
Rohto Dry EyeRelief
10ml bottle n/a
20 x 0.5ml single dose unit n/a
Prim-Ai Kas II (Tinted, for night time use), pack of 50 71-0952-24 H
Prim-Air Strip Fine Oval (Flesh tone, for sensitive skin), pack of 50 71-0970-00 O
Fine Round (Flesh tone, for sensitive skin), pack of 50 71-0970-00 R
Firm Round (Transparent with strong adhesive), pack of 50 71-0974-00 R
Prima-Resist Air II HME for Prima-Resist/Low-Resist hands-free valves, pack of 50 71-0952-212H
Peak Medical Ltd Combimate Adjustable Elastic Ostomy Belt 50mm wide SB50 1
Uromate 1 piece urostomy pouch, semi-transparent, beige non-woven backing and needle-pin overlap, non-return valve, soft bottom outlet tap, Medium, pre-cut 16mm
UMT116B 20
Uromate 1 piece urostomy pouch, semi-transparent, beige non-woven backing and needle-pin overlap, non-return valve, soft bottom outlet tap, Medium, 19mm – 32mm
UMT119B 20, UMT122B 20,UMT125B 20, UMT128B 20,UMT132B 20
B. Braun Medical Elite bag with skin protector adhesive and fabric backing, Beige, starter hole 38-810 30
Elite bag with skin protector adhesive and fabric backing, Beige, 20mm – 30mm 38-820 30, 38-825 30, 38-830 30
Elite bag with skin protector adhesive and fabric backing, White, 20mm 34-820 30
Elite Petite bag with skin protector adhesive and fabric backing, Beige, 30mm 37-730 30
Elite Petite bag with skin protector adhesive and fabric backing, Beige, 35mm 37-735 30
Preference Bag skin protector, microporous adhesive & fabric backing, Beige, 25mm 34-625 30