CPNCommunity Pharmacy News – August 2015

Flu vaccination service and settlement special• ‘A big win’ – flu vaccination Advanced Service announced

• £2.8bn and CPCF changes explained

• FAQs and flu preparation advice

5 point forward plan | Latest resources round up | Drug Tariff Watch

2 Community Pharmacy News – August 2015

services and commissioning The healThcare landscape lpcs

Settlement 2015/16: Flu Vaccination Service launched

As part of the 2015/16 funding settlement announced last month (see page 4)

NHS England has agreed community pharmacies can offer flu vaccinations to

eligible NHS patients aged 18 and over. Here we cover some common queries.

Wales

The new AdvancedService only applies toEngland; CommunityPharmacy Walesundertakes separatenegotiations onAdvanced Services whichare provided in Wales.

Local services

In many areas localservices have beencommissioned by NHSEngland teams inprevious years. Thenational flu vaccinationAdvanced Service willreplace these services.

Funding

The national servicewill be funded fromNHS vaccinationbudgets andtherefore is inaddition to andoutside of the totalagreed communitypharmacy fundingfor 2015/16. Thetotal delivered willbe dependent onuptake of theservice, but no caphas been set forthis.

Fees and costs

Contractors will receive£7.64 per administereddose of vaccine plusreimbursement of thevaccine costs (includingVAT). An additional fee of£1.50 will also be paid pervaccination in recognitionof costs relating to theprovision of the service(e.g. training, revalidationand disposal of clinicalwaste).

Legal basis

Flu vaccinations will be administeredunder the authority of a PatientGroup Direction (PGD) and theassociated regulatory requirementsmean that they will have to beadministered by a pharmacist (ornurse or other class of person namedin Schedule 16 of the HumanMedicines Regulations 2012).Administration of a parenteral POMcannot be delegated to anotherperson after the supply has beenmade under a PGD by a pharmacist.

Training

Many pharmacists will already havereceived the training they need tooffer vaccinations for local services,but for those who do need trainingthere are a range of organisationsoffering training and pharmacists willbe free to choose the training theywish to undertake to acquire therequired skills. It is anticipated thatthe Declaration of Competenceapproach will be used to assurepharmacy contractors thatpharmacists have the necessaryknowledge and skills to provide theservice, but this and the associateddetails will be confirmed as soon aspossible.

Claiming payment

It is not yet possible to saywhether data collectionand payment claims willbe undertakenelectronically or via paper,but these details will beshared with contractors assoon as they are available.

Implementationcosts

Set up costs thatcontractors incur will notbe separately funded, butthey have been consideredin the setting of the feesfor provision of the service.

Procurement

The NHS has set outa list of possiblevaccinations in theannual flu letter andit will be up tocontractors tosource these fromtheir suppliers; therewill be no centralprocurement ofvaccinations forpharmacies.

Data reporting

Details of pharmacyreporting requirementsare still being finalisedwith NHS England, butreporting to thepatient’s GP practicewill be a requirement.PSNC is seeking tominimise burden oncontractors within thedata capturerequirements.

The key

details

psnc.org.uk 3

funding and sTaTisTics conTracT and iT dispensing and supplypsnc’s work

FAQs and Practical PointsQ. Who is eligible to receive the service?

Eligible adult patients are people aged 18 years and over, at the

time of vaccination, defined in the annual flu letter. They

include:

• people aged 65 years and over;

• pregnant women;

• carers;

• people aged 18-65 years with one or more of the following

medical conditions:

º chronic respiratory disease;

º chronic heart disease;

º chronic kidney disease;

º chronic liver disease;

º chronic neurological disease or learning disability;

º diabetes;

º splenic dysfunction; or

º a weakened immune system due to disease or treatment.

Note that care workers who are paid to provide care to people

(for example in their own homes or in care homes) are not

eligible for vaccination under the service, however they are

likely to be eligible for flu vaccination as a result of their job. In

this case the provision of flu vaccination would be a private

occupational health responsibility which should be funded by

the person’s employer.

Q. Will we need to have a needle stick injury procedure?

Pharmacy contractors should have a needle stick injury

procedure in place and all staff involved in the provision of the

service should be aware of the contents of the procedure.

Template needle stick injury procedures will be available from a

number of organisations, including the National Pharmacy

Association (NPA).

Q. Will pharmacies have to pay for disposal of clinical waste

associated with the service?

Yes. The funding agreed for the service recognises the cost of a

clinical waste disposal service which contractors will need to put

in place.

Q. When will the service commence?

PSNC, NHS Employers and NHS England anticipate that the exact

date of commencement will be at the start of September, but

implementation of the service requires regulatory changes and

the timing of such changes can be impacted on by external events

outside the control of any of the organisations. Further details on

the start date will be provided as they become available.

Q. When will the service specification be published?

The service specification is also being finalised and will be

published once it has successfully passed through NHS England’s

internal governance procedures.

What next?Further work is being undertaken by PSNC,

NHS Employers and NHS England in order to

prepare for implementation of the service.

Contractors will be updated on this as soon as

more information is available.

As is the case for any community pharmacy

service, contractors will be required to offer it

in accordance with a service specification.

PSNC, NHS Employers and NHS England are

currently finalising the service specification.

In the meantime contractors are advised to

stay up to date by signing up for PSNC's email

newsletters at psnc.org.uk/email.

You may also like to read more details about the

service at psnc.org.uk/flu. This page includes

links to FAQs and a range of other resources

How many pharmacies currentlyprovide flu vaccinations?To assess the prevalence of these services PSNC conducted a survey of LPCs early in 2015 and found that:

Almost 90%of LPCs had a local pharmacy flu vaccination

service commissioned during the 2014/15 season

21out of 25local NHS England Area

Teams commissionedpharmacy flu vaccination

services

More than5,000pharmacy contractors signedup to the services

84%of those pharmacies signed upwere active vaccination providers

Do you have more questionsabout the flu service?A range of FAQs, guidance documents and resources such aspatient communication materials have been published on thePSNC website to help support contractors as they prepare todeliver the service. Check psnc.org.uk/flu regularly toensure you don't miss the latest resources and information.

Contractors could also consider matters such as training and whether they or their team

will need any; stock requirements and procurement; what they might need to do to start

offering the service in September; how they will promote the service; and whether they

will need to update any SOPs.

Turn over to find out more about the 2015/16 funding settlement

4 Community Pharmacy News – August 2015

services and commissioning The healThcare landscape lpcs

PSNC has reached agreement with the NHS on a

community pharmacy funding settlement worth £2.8

billion for the 2015/16 financial year.

The agreement sees the introduction of a new Advanced

Service – a flu vaccination service (see page 2) – along with

some changes to the Community Pharmacy Contractual

Framework (CPCF).

In addition to this new service PSNC and the NHS have

agreed to establish a joint working group to review the

costs of the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) to inform

future negotiations. This will be extremely important for

the sector as EPS rolls out, and PSNC’s priority will of

course be to ensure that costs for contractors are fully

captured and then recognised in later negotiations.

PSNC and NHS Employers have also agreed to work

together to produce business cases for other community

pharmacy services for consideration in the 2016/17

negotiations. These are an essential first step towards

agreeing new services.

And PSNC will work with the NHS to take forward an

agreement in principle on the publication of pharmacy

earnings from the NHS, in line with the requirements on

other health professions and service providers. This means

that PSNC has agreed that in principle pharmacies will need

to comply with a requirement to publish their earnings, and

that we will work with the NHS to set out how this should

happen.

PSNC had hoped that it would also be able to reach

agreement with the NHS on a national minor ailments advice

service as part of the 2015/16 settlement and in lengthy

discussions with the NHS we had developed a detailed

proposal for this. NHS England subsequently decided not to

pursue this. This has been very disappointing and PSNC

believes it will have a negative impact on both the NHS and

patients, who are missing out on a valuable professional

service that could both improve care and reduce pressures

on GP practices and the wider health service.

Settlement 2015/16: Funding set at £2.8bnwith changes to CPCFThis year’s community pharmacy funding settlement brings a number of

changes for contractors to be aware of as well as commitment from the

NHS to collaborate on service development and EPS cost analysis.

The Settlement At A Glance

FundingTotal funding: £2.8 billion

Fees and allowances: As last year, £2bn of the agreed funding

to be delivered through fees and allowances.

Purchase margins: The additional £800 million to be delivered

through agreed purchase margins.

Drug Tariff Changes: There have been no changes so far. As

always any adjustments will depend on the outcomes of the

Margins Survey and PSNC will work to ensure full and fair

delivery of the agreed funding to contractors. Contractors will

be informed of any changes to Category M prices and/or Practice

Payments in due course.

ServicesNew Services: National flu vaccination Advanced Service

introduced (see page 2).

NMS and MURs: These remain unchanged with funding to come

from the agreed £2bn.

CPCF ChangesNational Audit: As in 2014/15, pharmacy teams will need to

participate in a national audit, the topic of which is yet to be

agreed.

Exemptions checks advice: Any patients claiming prescription

charge exemption without presenting any evidence of

entitlement must be informed about the exemptions checks and

action on inappropriate claims that the NHS takes. This may be

undertaken verbally, but patients could also be informed by

giving them information in written form. PSNC will provide

template leaflets for this in due course.

Got questions about the settlement and what it means? We have a

series of briefings to explain how the negotiations worked and what

the settlement will mean. Visit psnc.org.uk/briefings

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: mmabbutt@psnc.org.uk © PSNCPSNC Office: 0844 381 4180 or 0203 122 0810

psnc.org.uk 5

funding and sTaTisTics conTracT and iT dispensing and supplypsnc’s work

PSNC News roundupIn the past month PSNC has made a number of announcements

which are summarised here. You can find out more at

psnc.org.uk

PSNC Chair

Sir Michael Pitt, who has extensive experience in local

government, the civil service and the private sector, has been

appointed as non-executive Chairman of PSNC. He will take up

his post on 1st September 2015, replacing Sir Peter Dixon who

completes four years as Chairman on 31st August.

Sir Michael has had roles including Chief Executive of Cheshire

and Kent County Councils, and Chair of a Strategic Health

Authority. Currently, he is also Chair of the Legal Services Board

which oversees legal regulators in England and Wales.

Honorary doctorate awarded

PSNC Chief Executive Sue Sharpe has been awarded an

Honorary Doctorate of Science by the University of Sunderland

in recognition of her contribution to the development of

community pharmacy services and to patient welfare. Sue told

graduates at the event: “You are graduating at a time that is

the most professionally exciting for at least the last 65 years.

The NHS is now fully committed to using the skills the

pharmacist has and that will provide new and unprecedented

opportunities for rewarding careers.”

677 people watched therecording of our popularendorsing and submission bestpractice workshop in July. Catchup now at psnc.org.uk/webinar

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:

PSNC reaction to the settlement“The pressures on the NHS are showing no signs of easing and the health

service remains a difficult environment both to work and negotiate in.

Negotiations are not straightforward with testing efficiencies demanded of all

healthcare providers, and it was essential to protect funding levels for

community pharmacies.

Community pharmacy provision of NHS flu vaccinations makes absolute sense

for patients and for commissioners, and the commissioning of the service

shows that our messages about the impact pharmacy can have are starting to

get through. It is also a testament to all the work that LPCs and pharmacy

teams have been doing to offer local services already.

Over the coming months we will be working hard with NHS Employers and NHS

England to ensure that pharmacy teams, patients and the rest of the health

service are ready for the new service.

PSNC is also pleased to have reached agreement to work with NHS England

and other stakeholders to assess the costs of the Electronic Prescription

Service (EPS). We know this has been a big concern to contractors as GP

practices have adopted EPS, and we have been able to provide some analysis

of increased costs to the NHS to persuade them that the current systems

increase and do not reduce dispensing time. The joint work programme will

build on this.

We are now preparing for the next round of negotiations to agree services

that are manageable, fairly funded and offer good value for the NHS. Using

community pharmacists and their teams to reduce unnecessary demands on

general practice and other NHS services is essential if the NHS is to make best

use of very scarce resources, and we know pharmacies can do a lot. We still

suffer from pockets of ignorance and prejudice, even today, and progress is

slower than we would like. But we are moving forward.”

Sue Sharpe, PSNC Chief Executive

PSNC Committee Member Comments

“Offering a range of services

helps us to build on the value we

are already delivering, enables us

to diversify our income streams,

and means we can take greater

control over the future of our

businesses. Flu is a great example

of this – we know patients want to receive

vaccinations from us and we are not reliant on

anyone else to ensure that that happens. We

must make the most of it.”

Gary Warner, Chair of PSNC’s Service

Development Subcommittee, a PSNC

Negotiating Team member, and an

independent community pharmacy contractor

“This settlement will be a relief to independent

contractors, particularly in a world in which the

NHS is demanding efficiencies of all providers.

The pharmacy flu vaccination service is also very

positive news. The focus for pharmacy

businesses will now be on getting ready for the

service. Independent community

pharmacy is good at all of this,

and many of us will have been

preparing for local services

already, so I know that we will

meet the challenge.”

Bharat Patel, a PSNC

Negotiating Team member and an

independent community pharmacy contractor

6 Community Pharmacy News – August 2015

psnc’s work funding and sTaTisTics conTracT and iT

PSNC launches pharmacy action planFive-point transformation plan sets out PSNC’s community pharmacy

service development priorities for 2016/17 to inform negotiating mandate

with the NHS.

PSNC has published a five-point plan setting out the steps we

believe the NHS should take to transform the delivery of primary

care by harnessing the potential of community pharmacy.

The plan sets out five key services that we believe the NHS could

and should commission quickly via the Community Pharmacy

Contractual Framework (CPCF). These services would help

provide better care for patients as well as reducing pressure on

GPs and urgent care services.

The plan follows the recent funding settlement, which included

agreement on a national flu vaccination service, discussions about

a possible minor ailments advice service and a commitment to

work together on business cases for future services.

The commitment to the community pharmacy flu vaccination

service shows that the NHS is starting to see the value pharmacy

offers; but progress is too slow and we believe they must speed up.

The popularity of existing community pharmacy services shows

how open the public are to receiving a range of services and

advice from pharmacies. GPs continue to warn that their workload

is unsustainable and we know that for many conditions community

pharmacy teams can offer a safe, effective and more easily

accessible alternative to a GP consultation. We also know that

pharmacy is ready, willing and able to deliver many more services

provided we are fairly remunerated for doing so. The ideas within

the plan set out how the NHS can take advantage of this.

Some of the themes in the plan will be familiar to those in

pharmacy - they build on PSNC’s vision and the evidence that has

accumulated since its publication in 2013. Many of the services

have been tested locally so we know that they will improve care

for patients as well as reducing pressure on GPs and other

providers; it is time to scale these local successes up and offer the

services nationally.

This plan builds on our previous work but will provide a new

focus, and it also sets out clearly the services we would like to

discuss with the NHS. We will be discussing the plan with NHS

England, politicians and others and we hope that the services set

out within it will be included within the negotiating mandate for

2016/17.

84%of adults visita pharmacyevery year

57millionGP consultations per year costing £2bnare for patients with symptoms thatpharmacists could treat

50%Hospital admissions reduced by

due to a pharmacy inhalertechnique scheme

of the population can reach apharmacy within 20 minutesby walking or using publictransport

£264mcould be saved annuallyby early diagnosis ofCOPD patients

You can read the plan opposite and findout more at psnc.org.uk/5pointplan

96%

Give patients easier access to

urgent medication

Patients who have run out of regular

medicines often use expensive out of hours

services.

� Commission an urgent supply service so community

pharmacists can supply routine NHS prescription medication

at weekends and out of hours if patients run out.

Benefits: Ensures patients have uninterrupted and

convenient access to medicines. Contributes to 7-day NHS

working and saves around £45 per patient.

Offer people advice at their own convenience,

using pharmacy as a first port of call

Patients often consult GPs when they can obtain

advice and help quickly and conveniently from a pharmacy.

� Use community pharmacists to advise people with

symptoms, offering treatment or referral as needed.

Benefits: Reduces demand for GP

appointments, creating capacity within

practices and a net saving of £25 per

patient per GP consultation, and offering

speedier support for patients.

Care for frail and older people

Many house-bound patients and people discharged

from hospital receive no help with their medicines

which can lead to health complications and readmission.

� Community pharmacists can provide

support to frail and older people and

their carers at their homes if necessary.

This ensures they are using medicines

properly and safely, particularly after

hospital discharge.

Benefits: Helps patients as they move between hospital and

their home.. Reduces avoidable health complications and the

costs of caring for those, saving around £2,000 per hospital

admission. Medicines advice can improve health outcomes

and prevent readmission to hospital.

Support people to manage their

long-term conditions more

effectively

People with long-term medical conditions

need support to use their medicines properly

to avoid poor outcomes, hospital admission

and sometimes even fatal complications. But

GP management of some patients is unnecessary.

� Community pharmacists should support and monitor

people with simple hypertension and asthma to help them

to manage their own health.

Benefits: Offers convenient care, support and advice that can

lead to significant improvements in disease control and

quality of life. Reduces workload for GP practices releasing

capacity for them to carry out other roles.

Help identify people with undiagnosed

respiratory disease

Nearly 3 million people in the UK

are thought to have undiagnosed Chronic

Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

The failure to diagnose and treat the

condition at an early stage can lead to a

worsening of the disease which requires

additional expensive care or hospital treatment.

� Community pharmacists should provide risk assessments

for people potentially at risk of having or developing COPD,

followed by advice and stop smoking support or referral.

Benefits: Early diagnosis and intervention contributes to

public health efforts, and subsequent support offered by

pharmacists improves outcomes from medication, reducing

expensive treatment of exacerbations and improving patient’s

quality of life.

A sustainable NHS– the pharmacy fivepoint forward plan

1

2

3

4

5

The Secretary of State for Health and the head of the NHS want radical changes in the delivery of care, needed to ensure asustainable NHS that can cope with increases in demand and financial constraints.

Community pharmacy can offer this transformational change, improving convenience for patients, creating capacity ingeneral practice and other services and releasing substantial savings for the NHS. With commitment and energy from thegovernment and the NHS we can make a big impact within just two years.

Community pharmacy is ready to help but can’t do it alone: as pharmacists, citizens and taxpayers we are calling on theDepartment of Health and NHS England to work with us to make it happen. Here is our five point action plan.

Find out more about the plan and theevidence for the services within it atpsnc.org.uk/5pointplan

8 Community Pharmacy News – August 2015

psnc’s work funding and sTaTisTics conTracT and iT

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

Funding settlement and flu service to do list:Read PSNC Briefings on the settlement and new service – visit psnc.org.uk/briefingsReview working practices to ensure that you and your teams can build the newservice into your routine work as well as continuing to offer the New MedicineService, MURs, and any local services.Sign up to PSNC’s Newsletters to ensure you don’t miss out as more information onthe flu service and CPCF changes becomes available. Sign up at psnc.org.uk/email

Are you taking on a pre-registration

trainee this year?

The ‘Pre-Registration Training Grant’ is payable to

community pharmacy contractors to support the

training of a pre-registration

pharmacy student.The grant is currently set at £18,440

per year and is authorised by the

contractor’s local NHS England team

who instructs the Pricing Authority accordingly.

PSNC has developed a template form which

pharmacy contractors may wish to use to apply

for the grant at: psnc.org.uk/prereg

Cancer support resources

Public Health England campaign

Public Health England (PHE) has launched a

national campaign to raise awareness of the

increased risk of breast cancer in older women

and the range of breast cancer symptoms. A

briefing has been created for pharmacy teams

which gives advice on how to approach the

topic with patients and gives details of where

to order free materials for the campaign.

Download the briefing at: dld.bz/dNHhU

Pharmacy newsletter

Cancer Research UK has launched a newsletter

to help support pharmacy teams. The first

issue advises on how to start conversations

about cancer. Read it now at:tinyurl.com/pharmacycancernews

The Preface of the August 2015 Drug Tariff annotates the addition to Part VIIIA ofTramadol modified-release (MR) capsules with effect from September 2015.• Tramadol 100mg MR capsules (60)• Tramadol 150mg MR capsules (60)• Tramadol 200mg MR capsules (60)• Tramadol 50mg MR capsules (60)

Therefore all prescriptions submitted with the September bundle will be reimbursedaccording to the Drug Tariff listed price.

Addition of Tramadol MR capsules to Part VIIIA

Yellow Card appThere's now an app for bothpatients and healthcareprofessionals to reportproblems with medicines.

You can download the YellowCard app from the App Store at:ow.ly/PKzB7 or Google Play at:ow.ly/PKzB8.

psnc.org.uk 9

services and commissioning The healThcare landscape lpcsdispensing and supply

Part VIIIA Additions

Category C Additions:

SC Special Container

• Sodium dihydrogen phosphate anhydrous

340mg/Sodium bicarbonate 250mg

suppositories (10) – Lecicarbon C

• Sodium dihydrogen phosphate anhydrous

680mg/Sodium bicarbonate 500mg

suppositories (10) – Lecicarbon A

• Tramadol 100mg modified-release capsules (60)

• Tramadol 150mg modified-release capsules (60)

• Tramadol 200mg modified-release capsules (60)

• Tramadol 50mg modified-release capsules (60)

• Varenicline 1mg tablets and Varenicline

500microgram tablets SC (25) - Champix

• White soft paraffin 95% / Liquid paraffin 5%

ointment SC (50g) - Diprobase

• White soft paraffin 95% / Liquid paraffin 5%

ointment SC (500g) - Diprobase

Part VIIIA Amendments

SC Special Container

• Alendronic acid 70mg/100ml oral solution

unit dose sugar free (4) is changing to

Category A

• Alum powder (500g) is changing to Category

C J M Loveridge Ltd

• Brinzolamide 10mg/ml eye drops SC (5ml) is

changing to Category A

• Chlorphenamine 2mg/5ml oral solution (150ml)

is changing to Category C Piriton Syrup

• Paracetamol 500mg/5ml oral suspension

sugar free (150ml) is changing to Category A

• Prochlorperazine 3mg buccal tablets (50) is

changing to Category A

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.

• Nélaton Catheter (‘ordinary’ cylindrical

Catheter) Single use – Cure

(Male) (HM8-HM16) 8-16ch

(Female) (HF8-HF16) 8-16ch

• Biosensor Strips – Advantage Plus

Drug Tariff WatchBelow is a quick summary of some the changes due to

take place from 1st September 2015.

JULY 2015 CPN –Correction forChanges to PartVIIIB of the DrugTariff on pg. 11

PSNC has been alerted to a

publishing error in our

article titled ‘Drug Tariff

July 2015 changes: products

moving to Part VIIIA’. There

is no equivalent licensed

product to the listings for

Amlodipine oral solution

and suspension removed

from Part VIIIB in July 2015.

Instead, there is now a

licensed ‘alternative’ listed

in Part VIIIA; this is

Amlodipine 10mg/5ml oral

solution sugar free.

Products which continue to

be prescribed as per the old

Part VIIIB listings, and

supplied as unlicensed

specials, will need to be

appropriately endorsed to

ensure correct payment.

Need to know if an item can be dispensed on

an FP10? Check on our database at:

psnc.org.uk/FP10database

When pharmacy teams receive NHS prescriptions they must check whether the items prescribed are allowed on the NHS before dispensing. If they

are not allowed, the pharmacy may not be paid for them.

Pharmacy teams may wish to check PSNC’s ‘Dispensing on an FP10 database’ (available at: psnc.org.uk/FP10database) for more information on

whether an item can be dispensed on an FP10, and we have listed some products below that we have recently received queries about.

Product Is the item Does it Is it Can it be Additional listed in the have a ‘CE’ in the dispensed information Drug Tariff? mark? blacklist? on an FP10?

Please note: If the prescription is one of the following, pharmacy staff will need to check the relevant sections of the Drug Tariff/PSNC website:

• FP10CN or FP10PN (community nurse prescriber) – Part XVIIB.

• FP10D (dental prescriber) – Part XVIIA.

• FP10MDA (instalment dispensing) – psnc.org.uk/mda

Can it be dispensed on an FP10?

Bioteque America (R&J

medical ltd) ring pessary

with support size 4

Gauze swab type 13 light

12ply non-sterile

10cm x 10cm

Anti-Embolism Stockings

Yes

No

No

n/a

n/a

n/a

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

This item is a medical device

(CE marked) and appears in

Part IX of the Drug Tariff.

This item is a medical device

(CE marked) and is not listed in

Part IX of the Drug Tariff.

This item is a medical device

(CE marked) and is not listed in

Part IX of the Drug Tariff.

10 Community Pharmacy News – August 2015

dispensing and supply services and commissioning The healThcare landscape

NHS England has promised rapid and sustained action to tackle

the over-prescribing of psychotropic drugs to people with

learning disabilities after three separate reports highlighted the

need for change.

Research carried out by the Care Quality Commission, Public

Health England (PHE) and NHS Improving Quality has found:

• there is a much higher rate of prescribing of medicines

associated with mental illness amongst people with learning

disabilities than the general population;

• medicines are often used for long periods without adequate

review; and

• there is poor communication with parents and carers, and

between different healthcare providers.

In the report authored by PHE it is estimated that up to 35,000adults with learning disabilities are being prescribed

antipsychotics, antidepressants or both without appropriate

clinical justification.

NHS England has written a letter (dld.bz/dNud2) urging the

review of prescriptions, and promised to spearhead a call to

action to tackle these problems, similar to that which reduced

inappropriate use of antipsychotics for dementia patients.

This has involved bringing together representatives of both

professional and patient groups for an urgent summit on 17th

July, at which an action plan and a delivery board was established

to drive the necessary changes.

NHS England are also considering issuing a patient safety alert to

ensure that frontline clinicians and other health professionals are

aware of the concerns, and have published information on their

website (dld.bz/dNud3) for concerned patients and familymembers.

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

Hunt sets out 25 year vision for the NHS

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has outlined

his future plans for a patient-led,

transparent and safer NHS in a speech

given last month. The full speech is

available to view on the GOV.UK

(dld.bz/dNudq) website.

Create urgent care networks, urges NHS

England

NHS England’s Role and Establishment of

Urgent and Emergency Care Networks

(dld.bz/dNucZ) urges the creation of

networks to monitor standards of care and

designate urgent care facilities. The

networks will bring together system

resilience groups (SRGs) and other

stakeholders to address challenges that are

difficult to tackle in isolation.

Eight new vanguard sites announced

NHS England has revealed eight new

vanguard sites that will transform urgent

and emergency care for more than nine

million people.

At these sites urgent care will be delivered

not just in hospitals but also by GPs,

pharmacists, community teams,

ambulance services, NHS 111, social care

and others.

New Commissioning for Value resources

Additional resources added to the

Commissioning for Value (dld.bz/dNudd)

webpage include pathway data for

maternity and early years, substance

misuse, and mental health at local

authority level.

Record 1m responses for GP friends and

family tests

More than 1m responses to GP practice

friends and family tests (FFTs) have been

collected since December 2014, when the

scheme was rolled out to primary care.

Official data has shown that practices have

continued to receive a high rate of positive

responses with 88% of the 1,019,161

responses received to date having been

positive.

Contract awarded to replace NHS mail

Consultancy film Accenture has been

awarded a £60m contract to deliver a

replacement for the NHS’s secure email

system. The “NHSmail2” project will include

upgrades designed to make it easier for the

system’s 650,000 users to interact with

colleagues using other secure email

services. It will also include expanded video

and audio capabilities.

Many under-16s have tried e-cigarettes

Health and Social Care Information Centre

(HSCIC) has discovered that more than a

fifth (22%) of 11 to 15 year olds have used

e-cigarettes on at least one occasion in their

report, Smoking, Drinking and drug use

among young people in England

(dld.bz/dNudw). The report also found that:

• boys (23%) were more likely to have ever

used e-cigarettes than girls (20%); and

• nine in ten (89%) regular cigarette

smokers had used e-cigarettes,

compared to one in ten (11%) who had

never smoked.

eight new vanguard sites willtransform urgent and

emergency care for more than

nine million people

88% ofresponses to GPpractice friendsand family testsare positive

more than a fifth(22%) of 11 to 15year olds have usede-cigarettes on atleast one occasion

Urgent action pledged on over-medication of people with learning disabilities