August 2017 CPN

CPN

Community Pharmacy News – August 2017

Pharmacy gets ready for flu

Community pharmacists and their teams prepare for the launch of this year’s national Flu Vaccination Service Quality Payments Support | National workforce survey | LPC leaders implement change

SERVICES AND COMMISSIONING

THE HEALTHCARE LANDSCAPE

LPCs

Flu Vaccination Service launches 1st September The launch of the national community pharmacy Flu Vaccination Service 2017/18 is planned for 1st September 2017. Here we outline some important points that community pharmacy contractors need to be aware of.

Eligible patient groups This year, community pharmacists can vaccinate people who are morbidly obese (aged from 18 to less than 65 years of age with a Body Mass Index ≼40kg/m2) in addition to the eligible patient groups from last year.*

Signing up to deliver the service

Service paperwork

Contractors must complete the form on the NHS Business Services Authority (NHS BSA) website prior to provision of the service to notify NHS England that they intend to provide the service for 2017/18. This must be done annually; therefore, even if a contractor provided the service in 2016/17, they must complete this sign-up process again. Contractors will need to complete this form (not available yet) for all their pharmacies from which the Flu Vaccination Service will be offered. If the form is not completed before provision of the service, claims for payment will not be accepted by the NHS BSA.

PSNC guidance and support

Patient questionnaire Patients will still need to be asked to complete a survey after they have been vaccinated. Like last year, there will be an NHS England website available to contractors to support collation and submission of the data. Further details on the website will be made available

by NHS England in due course.

Since there is an additional eligible patient group, the paperwork associated with the service has been updated for 2017/18; if contractors are using paper forms, any forms from previous years should be disposed of and the new paperwork for the 2017/18 service should be used.

Key points

Two PSNC Briefings have been published and Rosie Taylor, Head of Service Development at PSNC, has recorded a video presentation as a guide to the service. The video provides information on the service requirements as well as providing tips on practical delivery. Find out more about the support available from PSNC at: psnc.org.uk/flu

IT support and payment claims Payment claims for March 2018 Payment claims for vaccinations administered during March 2018 must be submitted to the NHS BSA by 5th April 2018 in line with the FP34C submission document process. Late claims will not be processed and contractors will not receive payment for vaccinations claimed for.

Some LPCs and local NHS England teams have been able to arrange IT support for the service, e.g. use of PharmOutcomes, Sonar. Contractors cannot submit payment claims through these systems; payment claims for vaccinations administered must be submitted to the NHS BSA each month in line with the usual process (see psnc.org.uk/submission).

*The new eligible group is not confirmed until the Directions, service specification and PGD for the 2017/18 service are published.

Training requirements for the national Flu Vaccination Service Face-to-face training Face-to-face training is required for both injection technique and basic life support every two years. A list of organisations that provide vaccination training for pharmacists can be found at: psnc.org.uk/flutraining. We also suggest contacting your LPC to see if there is any training available in your area.

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Declaration of Competence (DoC) Pharmacists also need to complete the NHS seasonal influenza vaccination ADVANCED Declaration of Competence (DoC) selfassessment framework and statement of declaration, available on the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education website (www. cppe.ac.uk/services/declaration-of-competence), every two years.

PSNC’s WORK

FUNDING AND STATISTICS

CONTRACT AND IT

DISPENSING AND SUPPLY

August Category M adjustments Important funding announcement for community pharmacy contractors following Department of Health and PSNC analysis of retained margin.

As of 1st August, Category M reimbursement prices have been reduced by £15 million per month for a 12-month period. The reductions correct overpayments of retained margin for both 2015/16 and 2016/17.

Margins analysis work by both the Department of Health (DH) and PSNC, which is based on data from the independent sector, identified substantial excess margin for the two periods. Whilst the exact sum for 2016/17 will not be settled for another few weeks, PSNC accepted the adjustments proposed.

The £15 million per month reduction represents a drop of around 17-18 pence per item in average item value from current Drug Tariff prices, although the impact on any individual pharmacy may differ from this according to its dispensing mix.

If contractors experience problems obtaining a Part VIII product at the set Drug Tariff price, please report this to PSNC’s Dispensing and Supply Team using our online feedback form at: psnc.org.uk/feedback Peter Cattee, Chair of PSNC’s Funding and Contract Subcommittee and CEO of PCT Healthcare, said: “It is always difficult when the Margins Survey shows that contractors have received more than the allowed margin in any

given year. This has particularly been the case in a year in which our businesses have come under a huge amount of pressure as funding has been squeezed. PSNC debated this matter for some time and we felt that the priority was to spread the recovery over as long a period as possible. After much discussion, the Committee agreed unanimously that this proposal from the DH was the best option.”

Sue Sharpe, PSNC Chief Executive, said: “PSNC considered the proposal from the DH very carefully in light of the available Margins Survey analysis, eventually agreeing it unanimously. Spreading the recovery of the excess margin over 12 months is helpful, but, as the DH has acknowledged, the impact on community pharmacy will be severe in light of the funding cuts imposed last year which have already hit contractors’ income.

PSNC scrutinises the DH’s assessments of margin delivery very closely to ensure that the agreed margin is delivered each year. We also monitor price adjustments to ensure they are implemented correctly. Over many years we have seen that price volatility operates to preclude any real possibility of delivery of the exact agreed sum of margin in year. We also remain concerned about fair access to margin and local manipulation of the market. DH has recognised these issues and agreed to work with PSNC to try to resolve them.”

PSNC publishes resources on pharmacy cashflow changes PSNC’s Funding Team has published further materials to help community pharmacy contractors to understand how recent changes may be affecting their cashflow.

The funding imposition has already led to changes in payments made to contractors in recent months, but, following the reduction in Category M reimbursement prices effective from August, pharmacies will now see additional pressure on their income.

PSNC strongly advises contractors to analyse the impact on their finances. We hope the resources will help contractors to better understand and plan.

PSNC Briefing 057/17: How recent changes will affect your payments This briefing summarises the changes to funding delivery and outlines what those changes mean for your income for 2017/18.

Cashflow calculator This tool can help contractors to calculate the impact of both the funding imposition and the Category M price reductions on their pharmacy’s cashflow.

Both of these resources can be found at: psnc.org.uk/incometables

psnc.org.uk 3

SERVICES AND COMMISSIONING

THE HEALTHCARE LANDSCAPE

LPCs

Quality Payments: Support for the November review point Guidance and resources are now available to help community pharmacy contractors to meet the quality criteria in time for the November review point of the Quality Payments Scheme.

A Quality Payments Scheme framework and an asthma referrals service tool are now available via PharmOutcomes to support contractors in preparing for the November 2017 review point.

This support is available to all contractors as PSNC has agreed to use its PharmOutcomes licence to provide access to both functions.

Contractors who own multiple pharmacies can set up complementary viewer accounts within PharmOutcomes which enable an administrator/manager to view the progress that each of their pharmacies are making towards achieving the Quality Payment criteria.

By using their LPC viewer login, LPCs are also able to view the progress contractors are making towards achieving the Quality Payment criteria.

This will help to identify additional support that contractors require.

The framework, newly updated for the November review point, enables contractors to track their overall progress in achieving the Quality Payment criteria. The assessment also contains links to the PSNC website to provide additional information on each criterion and links to other PharmOutcomes services to assist contractors with collating evidence.

The asthma referral tool assists specifically in meeting that particular criterion, providing contractors with a simple method of recording and sending a referral directly to a patient’s GP practice, if a secure email address is held for that GP practice within PharmOutcomes (NB. a notification can be printed to send where a GP practice has not provided a secure email address).

An audit report is also created alongside referrals being sent that can be used to review activity and as evidence of activity if required.

For more information, including how to obtain login details for PharmOutcomes, please visit: ow.ly/9bXA30e726g

Urgent action required by contractors who did not fully meet the NHS Choices gateway criterion Community pharmacy contractors who only partly edited or validated their NHS Choices profile to meet the gateway criterion for the April review point of the Quality Payments Scheme, will have received an email from the NHS Business Services Authority (NHS BSA) which requires urgent action to ensure contractors meet the gateway criterion for the April review point.

The email from NHS BSA advises that these contractors have until 10th September 2017 to edit or validate any sections of their NHS Choices profile that they failed to edit or validate by 28th April 2017, which was the deadline for meeting the NHS Choices gateway criterion.

If contractors do not edit or validate the outstanding sections by 10th September 2017 they will NOT meet the gateway criterion and there will be a risk that the Quality Payment already made for the April review point will need to be recovered.

Learn more, and see a copy of the letter, at: ow.ly/h9iR30eiW0Y

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Patient safety alerts webpage A new PSNC webpage (psnc. org.uk/patientsafetyinfo) has been published which lists patient safety alerts and recalls that have previously been highlighted on the PSNC website, as well as guidance relating to patient safety. Contractors may wish to refer to this page when completing their patient safety report to meet the related Quality Payments Scheme quality criterion.

PSNC’s WORK

FUNDING AND STATISTICS

CONTRACT AND IT

DISPENSING AND SUPPLY

National workforce survey launched PSNC encourages all contractors to complete the first ever national workforce survey to help inform future training and development initiatives for the sector.

Community pharmacy contractors* across England will have recently received an email from NHS England asking them to participate in the first ever national community pharmacy workforce survey.

The online questionnaire about the pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, medicines counter and dispensary workforce in each pharmacy is being conducted for Health Education England (HEE). The survey is designed to inform the commissioning of future education and development programmes for community pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and the wider team.

Contractors will receive by email a secure log-in to access the survey and will have until 30th September 2017 to complete it.

Commenting on the launch of the survey, Alastair Buxton, Director of NHS Services at PSNC said: “We encourage all contractors to complete the survey. This is the first ever national workforce survey and the data collected will inform future commissioning of clinical education and development of the whole pharmacy team. It is therefore important that contractors complete the survey so that HEE has the information it needs.”

Last chance to help prioritise improvements for EPS NHS Digital has launched a survey to gather the views of community pharmacy teams about which enhancements to the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) they would like to see prioritised. This survey was prepared by NHS Digital with support from PSNC and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

The first in a short series of pharmacy IT surveys being planned for this year, this online survey should take around 5-10 minutes to complete depending on your answers. PSNC and NHS Digital would like to hear the views of all community pharmacy team members, therefore more than one member of staff from each pharmacy can complete the survey if they wish.

Please fill in the EPS enhancement survey before it closes on Friday 18th August 2017: tinyurl.com/EPSenhancements

* Asda, Boots, Lloyds, Morrisons, Rowlands, Superdrug, Tesco, and Well have already completed the survey centrally and pharmacies in London and the Thames Valley area (Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire) have previously completed a similar survey, so those pharmacies will not receive a request to complete the survey.

Further information HEE is the national leadership organisation for education, training and workforce development in the health sector. It works to ensure the workforce has the right skills, behaviours and training, and is available in the right numbers, to support the delivery of excellent healthcare and drive improvements.

This is one of several schemes linked to further clinical education and development for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians which have been commissioned by HEE working in collaboration with NHS England. The wider schemes will be funded by an initial £15 million investment from the Pharmacy Integration Fund.

Find out more about the national workforce survey at: ow.ly/pE5o30edICw

PhAS update: Contesting a review decision Some community pharmacy contractors have contacted PSNC to raise concerns about NHS England’s decision on their application for a review of their pharmacy’s eligibility for the Pharmacy Access Scheme (PhAS). In some cases, PSNC agrees that the NHS England review decision seems to be inaccurate or unclear.

NHS England has not provided a formal appeal mechanism. Despite this, PSNC expects NHS England to consider and respond to any contractor who raises any inaccuracy or error with a review decision and, if appropriate, for the review decision to be amended, to ensure that all those who are eligible for PhAS payments receive them. This is expected as a matter of fairness.

Read more about PhAS appeals at: ow.ly/9vrW30dZg6D LPS pharmacies reconsidered for PhAS payments Following discussions with PSNC, NHS England and the Department of Health have accepted that, in principle, all LPS pharmacies returning to the pharmaceutical list should be considered for PhAS eligibility and able to seek a review, if not automatically eligible. Find out more at: ow.ly/5eAH30dVJl8

psnc.org.uk 5

SERVICES AND COMMISSIONING

THE HEALTHCARE LANDSCAPE

LPCs

Study on variation in public health commissioning Research uncovers true extent of variation in LA commissioning of community pharmacy public health services across the country.

BMJ Open has published the results of a study which evaluated variation in local authority (LA) commissioning of community pharmacy public health services in England in 2014/15.

Information for the study was gathered via freedom of information requests to LA commissioners, as well as using data from the PSNC Services Database (psnc.org.uk/database) and PharmOutcomes.

Out of a reported 833 commissioned services, four types were commissioned by over 90% of LAs: • emergency hormonal contraception (EHC); • smoking cessation support; • supervised consumption of methadone or other opiates; and • needle and syringe programmes (NSPs).

30,000 supplies of free condoms and almost 16,000 chlamydia screening kits. More than 55,000 people registered to stop smoking in a community pharmacy, almost 30,000 were screened for alcohol use and over 26,000 NHS Health Checks were delivered.

Find out more about the study at: ow.ly/T4xY30dRCRF

Public health services provided by community pharmacies in 2014/15 Over 4.4m individual supervisions

Over 1.4m needle packs supplied

Over 200,000 pharmacist consultations for EHC supply

Over 55,000 people registered for community pharmacy stop smoking services

The study also gathered information, where available, on the frequency of use of services.

Supervised consumption and NSPs were the most frequently used services, with over 4.4 million individual supervisions and over 1.4 million needle packs supplied. Community pharmacies provided over 200,000 consultations for supply of EHC, over

Apply now for the Foundation pharmacist training pathway We are now taking applications for our “Foundation pharmacist training pathway – a programme aimed specifically at newly qualified pharmacists to develop their knowledge and skills in community pharmacy practice.

Clare Smith Programme coordinator, CPPE

The pathway will support you to develop the necessary knowledge, skills, behaviours and experience to deliver excellent patient care.

If you are a newly qualified pharmacist (i.e. you qualified after October 2015), and work for an independent or small multiple, or you are a locum pharmacist working at least three days a week in community pharmacy, you are eligible to apply for the programme.

The 12-month fully funded programme offers a comprehensive mix of online tutor-supported study, learning activities, workshops, assessment and work-based support through a designated CPPE tutor.

6 Community Pharmacy News – August 2017

The programme is also mapped to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Foundation practice framework, supporting you to be capable and competent in your role and ensuring quality of care during the first stage of your foundation training.

You will be supported to complete a personal development plan to inform your learning during the course, with support from CPPE to determine your development needs and to plan your workshop attendance.

Support and assessment will also take place in your workplace, with regular visits from work-based tutors.

The deadline for applications is 28th August 2017, and the programme begins on 2nd October 2017. We have already begun to receive applications, and are limited to just 100 places, so complete your application today to secure your place.

For further information, and for details of how to download your application form, visit: www.cppe.ac.uk/career/ foundation-prog

”

PSNC’s WORK

FUNDING AND STATISTICS

CONTRACT AND IT

DISPENSING AND SUPPLY

Adopting new skills and implementing change Two aspiring leaders from PSNC’s 2017 leadership development programme discuss the progress they have made.

Dipesh Raghwani

Luvjit Kandula

When Dipesh Raghwani’s LPC merged with several others to form Greater Manchester LPC his role changed from the Chief Officer of a small LPC to the Project Implementation and Clinical Lead of a new, much larger LPC. It was this big change that prompted Dipesh to apply for PSNC’s Leadership Academy programme.

As Chief Officer of Leicestershire and Rutland LPC, Luvjit Kandula found that constant changes in the profession left her feeling overwhelmed. However, she thought that a Leadership Academy led by the negotiator PSNC would be a great place to get some support.

Dipesh says the Academy has been a good networking opportunity as it provided an environment where he could talk to like-minded people and share good practice. Ideas and suggestions relating to services has been a popular topic within the group sessions and Dipesh has found that “there is some cracking stuff going on elsewhere”.

The one-to-one coaching sessions with course leader Rachel Harrison have also been invaluable as Dipesh has found she strikes the right balance between pushing him along and highlighting areas for improvement.

The learning that Dipesh has taken away from the programme has led him to take a new approach to LPC work. In particular he has helped the LPC to identify more opportunities to be proactive; ensuring the LPC is benefitting its contractors at a local level as well as across the region.

Dipesh wants to drive the profession forward, “so we’re seen as an equal partner in primary care”, and would love to represent community pharmacy at a higher level with hopes of becoming a PSNC regional representative in the future.

Luvjit welcomed the opportunity to connect with others who share her issues and frustrations, as well as to develop her leadership skills. She also found the programme’s one-to-one sessions extremely helpful as they made her more conscious of her own leadership style.

Since joining the Academy, Luvjit has made significant changes at her LPC, leading to better team-working. All LPC members have now reviewed their own working personalities and shared their findings to help everyone get to know the different skills within the team and adjust their styles of interaction to better suit others.

This also helped the LPC to become more responsive to contractors’ needs, because they were listening to others’ views. Now Luvjit has a committee who are not only engaged with local pharmacy teams but also supportive of initiatives such as the roll-out of Healthy Living Pharmacies.

Luvjit’s aim for the future is for community pharmacy to become part of the local healthcare strategy with further commissioning of pharmacy services. Recently there has been some good progress with the local Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) team around medicines optimisation, prevention, digital and other workstreams.

Whilst she recognises that the LPC is still on a journey towards full integration, Luvjit says PSNC’s Leadership Academy has been worth the investment as “you can’t be an effective change leader if you don’t have support yourself”.

Tees LPC wins C+D Award Tees LPC had success at the C+D Awards held on Wednesday 12th July in Cardiff, winning the Training and Development award.

Tees LPC is a recognised training provider of the Royal Society for Public Health Level 2 Award in Understanding Health Improvement (Health Champion training), providing training for 300 members of staff, across 106 pharmacies.

Nottinghamshire LPC just missed out on the GP Partnership of the Year award for its work placing independent prescribing pharmacists in GP settings. Congratulations also go to Leicestershire and Rutland LPC who were nominated for the GP Partnership of the Year award and to Avon LPC who were nominated for the Business Initiative of the Year award for their Quality Payments Scheme project.

psnc.org.uk 7

PSNC’s WORK

FUNDING AND STATISTICS

CONTRACT AND IT

Pharmacy notice board In this section of Community Pharmacy News we have highlighted some key notices for you and your team to be aware of in the coming weeks and months.

IG toolkit for 2017/18

The IG toolkit for 2017/18 is now available for comple tion. The deadline for submitting this year’s information govern ance (IG) return is 31st March 2018.

PSNC encourages community pharmacy contra ctors to complete the IG toolkit sooner rather than later and perhap s use this as an opportunity to comprehensively review their IG proces ses.

Further information and guidance is available at: psnc.o rg.uk/i g

H ealthcare news in brief

of what is happening in the PSNC produces a monthly round-up nd community pharmacy. beyo wider health and care landscape ul background information These regular briefings contain usef t on community pharmacy. and highlight news which may impac at: psnc .org. uk/h clbri efing s You can find the monthly updates

NMS offers £500m in long-term savings

An economic evaluat ion of the New Medicine Service (NM S) has found that the service increased patient medicine adherence by 10% com pared with normal practice. Re ad more about the study at: ow .ly/ fnK T30 efR rd

Upcoming healthcare conferences

e 2017 Regis ter for the Self Care Conf erenc

take place on 26th September.

This year’s Self Care Conference will health literacy, health apps, It will be showcasing social prescribing, aigning. camp motivational training and public health Rj Book your place at: ow.ly/ IWxZ 30dVb

Chec k confe rence 2018 Call for abstr acts for the NHS Health

rence which applications for the NHS Health Check confe Public Health England is inviting abstract ntion. will focus on cardiovascular disease preve ants will on Sunday 1st October and successful applic The deadline for submissions is midnight 2018. ary on 8th Febru present their work at the conference K8 0dYL Find out more at: ow.ly/ TuxB3

8 Community Pharmacy News – August 2017

DISPENSING AND SUPPLY

SERVICES AND COMMISSIONING

THE HEALTHCARE LANDSCAPE

LPCs

Consultation on stopping the prescribing of certain items Views sought on proposals to prevent a group of 18 items from being routinely prescribed in primary care.

NHS Clinical Commissioners (NHSCC) and NHS England have published proposals on 18 medicines which they suggest should no longer be routinely prescribed in primary care, because they are either: • clinically ineffective, unsafe or not cost effective; or • the NHS can offer a clinically-proven alternative for patients.

The proposals have been developed by an expert clinical working group, which included representation from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. NHSCC and NHS England are now seeking views on the proposals via a public consultation, which closes on 21st October 2017.

NHSCC and NHS England note that while many doctors and other prescribers are no longer prescribing these 18 medicines for patients, the evidence shows that there is variation across the country and that the NHS currently spends £141 million

per year on these medicines. Subject to the outcome of the consultation, guidance on the initial 18 medicines is likely to be published by NHS England and Clinical Commissioning Groups will be asked to consider its implementation within their communities, ensuring they take into account their duty to reduce health inequalities. The proposed guidance would not remove the clinical discretion of the prescriber in deciding what is in accordance with their professional duties.

NHS England and NHSCC are also seeking people’s views on whether a wider list of 3,200 products that are available over-the-counter, without prescription, may be considered appropriate for future restriction. At this stage, they are seeking views generally on this area, for further work and consideration by the clinical working group.

Read more about the consultation at: ow.ly/iWMz30dRD53

Can it be dispensed on an FP10?

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 contractor may not be paid for the item.

Pharmacy staff therefore may wish to check PSNC’s ‘Dispensing on an FP10 database’ (see psnc.org.uk/FP10database) to determine their eligibility.

The database provides information on commonly queried medicinal products and appliances and whether they are allowed to be prescribed and dispensed on an NHS FP10 (green) prescription form.

Below is a list of some products that we have recently received queries about.

Product

Is the item listed in the Drug Tariff?

Is it Does it Can it be in the have a ‘CE’ dispensed blacklist?* mark? on an FP10?

Additional information

Actimist Eye Spray

No

n/a

Yes

No

This item is a medical device (CE marked) and is not listed in Part IX of the Drug Tariff.

Miraspa Hand Sanitizer Gel

No

n/a

Yes

No

This item is a medical device (CE marked) and is not listed in Part IX of the Drug Tariff.

Prevalin Allergy Nasal Spray

No

n/a

Yes

No

This item is a medical device (CE marked) and is not listed in Part IX of the Drug Tariff.

Sterowipe Alcohol Free Cleansing Wipes

No

n/a

Yes

No

This item is a medical device (CE marked) and is not listed in Part IX of the Drug Tariff.

*n/a is because medical devices are not listed in the blacklist.

DIfferent prescription forms If you are presented with a prescription form other than the green FP10, here is where you can find the relevant information about what can be prescribed: • Lilac FP10PN (community practitioner nurse prescriber) – see Part XVIIB of the Drug Tariff • Yellow FP10D (dental prescriber) – see Part XVIIA of the Drug Tariff • Blue FP10MDA (instalment dispensing) – see psnc.org.uk/mda

psnc.org.uk 9

DISPENSING AND SUPPLY

SERVICES AND COMMISSIONING

THE HEALTHCARE LANDSCAPE

Ask PSNC The PSNC Dispensing and Supply Team provide pharmacy teams with support and advice on a range of topics related to the Drug Tariff and reimbursement. Questions asked in recent weeks have included: Q. Why do contractors need to report generic shortages each month? If a price concession or NCSO is granted in one month and is still a problem in the next month, why doesn’t the price roll over?

A. Price concessions and NCSOs only apply for the month in which they are granted. Because the market fluctuates on a regular basis in terms of stock levels and prices it would not be appropriate to roll the price over from one month to the next.

PSNC regularly monitors the market through contractor reports and communications with wholesalers. Where appropriate, we apply to the Department of Health (DH) for price concessions on products which aren’t available at Drug Tariff price. As stock levels and prices can vary across the country, we rely on contractor reports to help feed into our market surveillance and our discussions with DH. It is also important to note that DH may not act on something unless contractors have reported it.

Q. Why aren’t price concessions or NCSOs granted on the first day of each month?

A. If there is a supply issue, PSNC needs to make a fresh concession application at the start of each month. The Department of Health (DH) then take time to undertake checks and make a decision. In some cases, there is a need for negotiation between PSNC and DH on an individual product’s circumstances; this can take time.

PSNC would like to see changes to the arrangements that would allow contractors to have certainty over what they will be reimbursed, much earlier in the month, a point which we have raised with DH.

Q. What should I do if I’m experiencing supply issues?

A. Community pharmacy teams who experience problems in obtaining medicines or appliances are reminded to feed this back to our Dispensing and Supply Team.

PSNC reports the feedback received to the Department of Health to support their monitoring of the situation. It is also used in discussions with manufacturers, for example, highlighting problems with contingency arrangements.

Please report using our online feedback forms: psnc.org.uk/feedback

Q. What should I do if I’m having problems obtaining branded products?

A. If community pharmacy teams are having trouble obtaining branded medicines, please visit our ‘Manufacturer contingency arrangements’ page (see psnc.org.uk/mca) to find the best way to contact manufacturers about certain products.

However, if you continue to experience issues, remember you can also report this to PSNC using the branded medicine supply issues form at: psnc.org.uk/feedback

Look out for more frequently asked questions next month…

If you would like more information on any of the topics covered, the PSNC Dispensing and Supply Team will be happy to help (0203 1220 810 or e-mail info@psnc.org.uk).

Important safety information for people with diabetes Novo Nordisk A/S has detected that the insulin cartridge holder used in a number of NovoPen® Echo® and NovoPen® 5 batches may crack or break if exposed to certain chemicals, for example, household cleaning agents.

Novo Nordisk is urging people with diabetes using a NovoPen® Echo® and/or NovoPen® 5 from one of the affected batches to contact Novo Nordisk in order to replace the cartridge holder as some could be damaged or subject to damage in the future if not changed.

The batch numbers of the affected batches and further information can be found on Novo Nordisk’s press release: tinyurl.com/novopennor

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LPCs

PSNC’s WORK

FUNDING AND STATISTICS

Drug Tariff Watch Below is a quick summary of the changes due to take place from 1st September 2017.

Part VIIIA additions • Peppermint water BP 1973 (100ml) – Category A • Aluminium chloride 20% spray SC (30ml) – Odaban • Artificial saliva lozenges (30) – AS Saliva Orthana • Conjugated oestrogens 450microgram / Bazedoxifene 20mg modified-release tablets (28) – Duavive • Entecavir 1mg tablets (30) – Baraclude • Entecavir 500microgram tablets (30) – Baraclude • Entecavir 50micrograms/ml oral solution sugar free (210ml) – Baraclude • Lanreotide 120mg/0.5ml solution for injection pre-filled syringe SC (1) – Somatuline Autogel

• Levofloxacin 5mg/ml eye drops SC (5ml) – Oftaquix • Levofloxacin 5mg/ml eye drops 0.3ml unit dose preservative free (30) – Oftaquix • Morphine 100mg modified-release capsules (60) – Zomorph • Nabilone 1mg capsules (20) – Kinedexe UK Ltd • Nabilone 250microgram capsules (20) – Kinedexe UK Ltd • Nitisinone 4mg/1ml oral suspension sugar free SC (90ml) – Orfadin • Ondansetron 8mg/4ml solution for injection ampoules (5) – Zofran Flexi-amp • Selegiline 1.25mg oral lyophilisates sugar free (30) sub-pack SC (3 x 10) – Zelapar • Somatropin (rbe) 2mg powder and

CONTRACT AND IT

KEY: SC Special container R Item requiring reconstitution * This pack only (others already available) solvent for solution for injection prefilled disposable devices (7) – Genotropin MiniQuick • Tramadol 75mg / Paracetamol 650mg tablets (30) – Aspire Pharma Ltd • Urea 5% cream SC (50ml) – Eucerin Dry Skin Relief • Urea 5% cream (75ml) – Eucerin Dry Skin Relief Part VIIIA amendments • Nitrofurantoin 100mg capsules (30) Category C has changed to Category A • Nitrofurantoin 50mg capsules (30) Category C has changed to: Category A • Prednisolone 5mg/5ml oral solution unit dose (10) sub pack SC (2 x 5) Category C has changed to Category A

Part IX deletions Take careful note of removals from Part IX because if you dispense a deleted product, prescriptions will be returned as disallowed.

Product

Size, type and product code

Hunter Urology Ltd, Aloe Original catheter (formerly AntiBac)

Male, 8Ch (ABM08)

Juzo Adjustable Compression System

Toe (Left or Right) – all lengths and sizes

Juzo Compression Wrap

Sleeve, Knee and Thigh (all lengths and sizes)

Elastolabo gel

40ml

Corsinel Suportx Abdominal Belt (AMI Medical Ltd)

All lengths and sizes

Biotrol Elite colstomy bag with filter, skin protector adhesive, fabric backing (B. Braun Medical)

Beige – 25mm (36-825), 30mm (36-830) and 35mm (36-835) Transparent – 25mm (30-825) White – 25mm (32-825), 35mm (32-835) and 40mm (32-840)

OstoMart OstoMist Odour Neutraliser Gardenia with Jasmine Drops

25ml (GJN25) and 50ml (GNJ50)

OstoMart OstoMist Odour Neutraliser Tangerine Drops

25ml (TGN25) and 50ml (TGN50)

Biotrol Almarys Optima ileostomy drainable bag with all over soft non-woven cover (B. Braun Medical)

Beige, 25mm (F008725E)

Biotrol Almarys Optima ileostomy drainable bag with filter and soft cover (B. Braun Medical)

Beige – Starter hole 10mm (F009510E) and 35mm (F009535E)

Softima ileostomy bag with filter, skin protector, protective cover and “Flow Control” soft outlet (B. Braun Medical)

Beige – Cut-to-fit 16-60mm (043716E) and 28mm (043728E) Transparent – Cut-to-fit 16-60mm (043816E)

Almarys Twin two piece ostomy system (B. Braun Medical)

Base Plate – 50mm (036250E), 60mm (036260E), 80mm (036280E) Convex Base Plate – 50mm/24mm (036351E), 50mm/27mm (036352E), 50mm/17-30mm (036355E), 60mm/34mm (036361E), 60mm/37mm (036362E), 60mm/17-40mm (036365E) Closed Pouch with filter and protective cover, Beige – 40mm (037240E), 50mm (037250E), 80mm (037280E) High Flow Drainable collection pouch – ALL

Biotrol two piece ostomy system urostomy bag (B. Braun Medical)

Transparent – Child, 50mm (22-650)

Biotrol LockRing 2 two piece ostomy system colostomy bag (B. Braun Medical)

Flange – ALL Closed Bag: Beige – 50mm (22-850); White – ALL; Transparent – ALL Drainable Bag: Beige – 35mm (22-535), 50mm (22-550), 62mm (22-562); White – 50mm (22-450)

Softima Key two piece ostomy system drainable pouch with Filter and “Flow Control” (B. Braun Medical)

Beige – 40mm (63340E) Transparent – ALL psnc.org.uk 11

PSNC’s WORK

FUNDING AND STATISTICS

CONTRACT AND IT

PSNC resources library In this section of Community Pharmacy News we have provided details of some of the resources that PSNC has produced this month.

PSNC Briefings PSNC Briefing 047/17: Quality Payments – How to become a Health Living Pharmacy Level 1 This guidance is intended to provide an overview of how to achieve the Healthy Living Pharmacy criterion of the Quality Payments Scheme for the November 2017 review point.

Download from: ow.ly/wxPZ30edr9s PSNC Briefing 048/17: Hosting a pharmacy visit for your local MP This PSNC Briefing provides guidance to help LPCs to organise successful visits to community pharmacies for local Members of Parliament.

Download from: ow.ly/4VQN30edrj4 PSNC Briefing 051/17: Clinical audit: LABA bronchodilator being used as monotherapy for the treatment of asthma without a corticosteroid inhaler Community pharmacies are required to undertake two clinical audits each year. This audit has been developed by PSNC for use by pharmacy teams as a pharmacy-determined audit.

Download from: ow.ly/EXMR30edsLM PSNC Briefing 053/17: Ten steps to data and cyber security within your pharmacy This PSNC Briefing provides community pharmacy contractors with ten suggested steps to help improve data and cyber security for their pharmacy business.

Download from: ow.ly/LjAh30edsYX See all our PSNC Briefings in our database at: psnc.org.uk/briefings

Other resources Flu Vaccination Service 2017/18 video A video presentation was recorded by PSNC’s Head of Service Development Rosie Taylor to outline what community pharmacy teams need to know about this year’s Flu Vaccination Service.

Watch now: psnc.org.uk/fluwebinar Patient safety alerts webpage A new PSNC webpage lists patient safety alerts and recalls that have previously been highlighted on the PSNC website, as well as guidance relating to patient safety.

Visit now: psnc.org.uk/patientsafetyinfo Look out for additional resources as you explore our website: psnc.org.uk

Email news alerts EPS enhancements survey – pharmacy teams, please share your views (19th July 2017) Here we highlighted an NHS Digital survey gathering the views of community pharmacy teams on improvements to the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS).

Read now: ow.ly/ejUz30edrSE Not receiving our emails? Sign up now at: psnc.org.uk/enews PSNC website For 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, 14 Hosier Lane, London, EC1A 9LQ Community Pharmacy News is edited by: Melinda Mabbutt who can be contacted at the above address or by email at: mmabbutt@psnc.org.uk PSNC Office: 0203 122 0810

© PSNC