December 2015 CPN

CPN

Community Pharmacy News – December 2015

LPCs in the spotlight From u campaigns to a lung cancer detection pilot, Local Pharmaceutical Committees have been busy this season

Controlled Drug supply changes | PSNC answers your queries | Dispensing factsheet

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LPC flu heroes PSNC has spoken to a group of LPCs who have promoted the national pharmacy flu vaccination service through a variety of innovative campaigns.

As soon as the flu vaccination service was announced in the 2015/16 funding settlement, Local Pharmaceutical Committees (LPCs) began preparing to get the message out to the public and what a variety of work was undertaken!

Provider maps Derbyshire LPC has developed an interactive map of local flu vaccination providers (see picture opposite). Graham Archer, Chief Officer of Derbyshire LPC, explained that as one of the few areas of the country which had never had a local pharmacy flu vaccination service, the LPC “wanted more than just a press release” and to focus on the public service message.

After compiling a spreadsheet listing all the pharmacy providers across this vast county, the LPC started thinking about how they could make it easier for the public to make use of it. “We pulled out the localities and I’d heard about geo-mapping software which turned out to be quite easy to use,” said Graham. “Once the spreadsheet is right, you just drop it into the software and it does it for you – I couldn’t believe it did so much with no cost!”

View the interactive map of Derbyshire’s pharmacy flu vaccination providers at: tinyurl.com/derbyfluproviders Web TV David Bearman and Mark Stone of Devon LPC made an appearance on web TV health channel Hiblio to discuss the difference between colds and flu, the importance of getting vaccinated and how to look after yourself if you do get a cold or flu.

Watch the programme on-demand at: tinyurl.com/o2y294f

Text alerts Some LPCs, including Devon, Somerset and West Yorkshire, have made use of a text message service developed by PharmOutcomes. This information service provides contact details and, approximate distance, for the nearest three participating pharmacies to a person once they have texted ‘pharmacy flu’ and their postcode to 80011 (see example opposite).

Robbie Turner, Chief Executive Officer of Community Pharmacy West Yorkshire, who first came up with the idea, explains: “One of the challenges of promoting pharmacy services, such as flu, is that not all pharmacies provide them. We needed a mechanism to easily enable people to find their closest pharmacy in which they would be able to access the service. We soon decided that the best way to help patients find their local pharmacy was the geographic text message and we worked with PharmOutcomes who made it possible.”

Gary Warner, co-founder of Pinnacle Health Partnership which manages the PharmOutcomes system, told us: “As a social enterprise, we saw this as breaking down one of the barriers for community pharmacy to deliver services to patients; the commissioner can also gauge how effective any promotion campaign has been as they have real-time access to usage reports.”

Share your story Have you run an innovative flu campaign? If so email melinda.mabbutt@psnc.org.uk to share your story.

What else have LPCs been up to?

Avon LPC conference engages commissioners Avon LPC held its third annual conference in October, following an afternoon of pharmacy visits with local commissioners, to showcase the great work community pharmacy delivers on a daily basis.

The conference, hosted by LPC Chair Lisa Fisher, welcomed PSNC Chief Executive Sue Sharpe who spoke about the wider role community pharmacy can play in enhancing patient outcomes. Other speakers included LPC CEO Richard Brown

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and Kevin Gibbs, Clinical Pharmacy Manager at University Hospitals Bristol.

The conference aimed to highlight the role community pharmacy plays as part of the wider integrated health team through celebrating local successes such as new Healthy Living Pharmacies and a hospital discharge project.

Many delegates commented that the conference left them feeling inspired to

do more for their local community and local commissioners have already initiated discussions with the LPC about potential new and innovative services to help drive outcomes for patients and utilise the expertise in pharmacy.

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MPs show support for local pharmacies MPs have been visiting their local community pharmacies to find out about the flu vaccination service and for ‘Ask Your Pharmacist Week’.

Yorkshire MPs learn about pharmacy flu jabs Last month Yorkshire MPs Julian Sturdy, Kevin Hollinrake and Robert Goodwill were invited by North Yorkshire LPC to visit local pharmacies to learn more about the first ever national pharmacy flu vaccination service.

During the visits, the MPs discussed how the service has been received, the numbers of patients taking advantage and benefits of the new national service.

Julian Sturdy, MP for York Outer, visited Hepworth’s Pharmacy in Fulford, York and commented: “The service is proving to be hit with patients. Numbers have already surpassed last year’s North Yorkshire total with an increase of more than 200%”.

Thirsk and Malton MP, Kevin Hollinrake, visited Easingwold’s Boots Pharmacy, and said: “As winter draws nearer many people will suffer with ill health. Older people aged 65 and over, and adults with certain Kevin Hollinrake MP receives a pharmacy medical conditions flu jab can benefit from the NHS flu vaccination service now being offered in pharmacies. The scheme will help protect people from health complications through the winter months by making sure they have their flu jab.”

Lastly, Robert Goodwill, MP for Scarborough and Whitby, visited Scarborough Delivery Chemist, commenting: “I myself will be adding to the numbers by also taking advantage of the service as I did last year.”

Cambridgeshire MPs ask their pharmacist As part of the national ‘Ask Your Pharmacist Week’ (organised by the NPA), Cambridgeshire MPs Lucy Frazer and Steve Barclay were invited to visit local pharmacies by Cambridgeshire and Peterborough LPC to find out more about the range of services they provide.

Lucy Frazer, MP for South East Cambridgeshire, enjoyed a visit to Waterbeach Pharmacy, commenting: “It was very interesting to visit Waterbeach Pharmacy and find out more about the wide range of services available in community pharmacies. While Lucy Frazer MP visits Waterbeach Pharmacy most people will go first to their pharmacy for medicines advice, many don’t know about the range of other healthcare services provided and the level of expertise there. I was pleased to see a whole range of services on offer including the flu jab. Waterbeach Pharmacy provides a great service to its community.”

Steve Barclay, MP for North East Cambridgeshire, being shown around a Boots Pharmacy in March, said: “Community pharmacies are often unsung heroes, especially during the winter months. We are all aware of the health dangers the winter season can bring, especially for the vulnerable.

Community pharmacies are effective in alleviating the pressures on local hospitals and doctors and maintain the same standard of care.”

Early lung cancer detection by Doncaster pharmacists A pilot scheme taking place in Doncaster is enabling community pharmacists to refer patients presenting with symptoms of lung cancer for an urgent chest x-ray.

People aged over 40 who are, or have been, smokers will be targeted as they are considered those most at risk. After an at-risk patient has been identified by a member of the pharmacy team, they will be approached by the pharmacist

for a consultation to find out if they are having or displaying any potential symptoms.

More than 30 pharmacists have been trained to identify signs of lung cancer for the 12 month pilot, funded by NHS Doncaster Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). One of the pharmacists taking

part in the pilot, Laura Sharp, explains the benefits of the service: “It is an additional avenue for patients to discuss concerns which they may not do with their GP. It provides potential for the early detection of cases. And if we identify cases earlier and help patients access the treatment they need, we can be saving lives – that’s the key here.”

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Patients will be supported to make informed decisions Regulatory healthcare bodies state their intent to ‘support informed decision making by patients’ by working with doctors and pharmacy professionals.

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), the General Medical Council (GMC) and the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland have responded to recent claims that patients and the public have been inappropriately influenced by health professionals when making decisions about where to access services such as flu vaccinations or dispensing of prescriptions.

The statement is intended to make clear the duty that pharmacy professionals and doctors have in supporting informed decision making by patients and ensuring that they do not inappropriately influence patients’ choices. Anyone who has a specific concern in regards to this should contact NHS England or their local health board in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The GPhC, GMC and Pharmaceutical Society of NI are working closely with the NHS in each part of the UK and there is a clear process whereby concerns can be referred to them if it is deemed that the required

standards may not have been met by individual health professionals.

Read the joint statement in full at: tinyurl.com/patientchoicestatement Steve Lutener, PSNC Director of Regulation and Support, said: “We welcome this statement by the regulators of the pharmacy and medical professions, that patient choice must not be inappropriately influenced.

Now that the professional regulators have publicised their position, we hope that the minority of pharmacists and medical practitioners who have sought to inappropriately influence patient choice will now remedy their practices and ensure that patients can exercise their own free choice.”

Important regulatory changes to Controlled Drug supply New mandatory CD requisition form A Home Office update "Circular 027/2015: Approved mandatory requisition form and Home Office approved wording" confirms that, with effect from Monday 30th November 2015, a mandatory requisition form must be used for the purposes of requisitioning Schedule 2 and 3 Controlled Drugs (CDs) in the community. This change applies to England, Scotland and Wales but the latter two countries have their own approved CD requisition forms which professionals should continue to use.

In England, a new mandatory requisition form (FP10CDF) has been introduced which incorporates the information currently required under the Regulations. The requirement to use the mandatory requisition form applies to pharmacy contractors. Find out more about the change and the new requisition form at: dld.bz/dZXTE

Availability of Naloxone widened As of 1st October 2015, a range of drug treatment services can order Naloxone from a wholesaler so that persons engaged or employed in their services can, as part of their role, make a supply of Naloxone available to others without a prescription.

This change applies to pharmacies commissioned to provide opiate substitution treatment such as supervised consumption of methadone schemes or a needle and syringe exchange scheme.

Recent guidance 'Widening the availability of Naloxone' explains the relevant changes to the Human Medicines Regulations 2012.

Learn more and download the guidance from: dld.bz/eavNV

Have you completed your annual clinical audit yet?

An easy to complete clinical audit – hydration messages to prevent Acute Kidney Injury – has been added to PharmOutcomes to help pharmacy contractors to comply with the clinical audit requirement of the pharmacy contract.

The audit, developed by the NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service (SPS) medicines use and safety team, may be of particular use to any pharmacy team who have not yet undertaken a clinical audit during 2015/16.

The audit focuses on the provision of hydration advice for people with urinary tract infections or those presenting in the pharmacy seeking advice about urinary symptoms.

It provides an easily deliverable option for pharmacy teams that will also make a real difference to patient safety and will help the profession to amass further evidence of the impact that community pharmacy interventions can have.

Step by step instructions on completing the audit can be found at: psnc.org.uk/audit

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psnc’s work

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Is your NHS Choices profile up-to-date?

The NHS Choices database provides the public with a comprehensive list of all the community pharmacies in their area – does your profile truly reflect the service you offer?

NHS Choices is the online presence for the NHS, providing the public with access to searchable databases of NHS providers to help them locate their nearest healthcare provider, including community pharmacies. As such your NHS Choices profile may provide the first impression of your pharmacy to members of the public and so it is vital to ensure it is kept up-to-date.

Your NHS Choices profile is also a way for the public to provide feedback on their experiences of your pharmacy. Whilst positive reviews can help promote your pharmacy, negative ones can provide opportunities to acknowledge where improvements need to be made and demonstrate how you are willing to make changes where necessary.

Don’t forget, utilising this free resource could also help promote your pharmacy by letting potential patients know your opening hours and all the services you offer, as well as other useful information such as car parking arrangements. Of course your pharmacy may have its own website which already provides this function, but you can easily direct people to it from your profile in this national pharmacy database.

How do I get started?

If you are an independent community pharmacy contractor and have not already been fully set up on NHS Choices, contact the NHS Choices helpdesk (call 0845 650 4865 or email thechoicesteam@nhschoices.nhs.uk) who will be able to get the process started.

CCA and AIMp member companies have generally co-ordinated registration at Head Office level.

Where to go for further support More information on using NHS Choices profiles, including details of what you can edit and tips on responding to patient feedback, can be found at: psnc.org.uk/nhschoices PSNC has produced some templates which can be used on your pharmacy’s profile to help explain the NHS services you provide; these can be found at: psnc.org.uk/nhschoicestemplates

Universal Credit update From 1st November 2015, changes regarding eligibility to claim Help with Health Costs under the Universal Credit benefit system have come into effect.

Patients are now only eligible to receive help with their health costs (for example, free NHS prescriptions) if: • they are receiving Universal Credit AND had no earnings or net earnings up to £435 during the most recent assessment period; or • they are receiving Universal Credit which includes an element for a child and/or limited capability for work or limited capability for work related activity, AND had no earnings or net earnings up to £935 during the most recent assessment period.

Whilst Universal Credit has yet to be rolled out everywhere, because patients can get their prescriptions dispensed from any NHS community pharmacy in the country, all pharmacy teams should be aware of these arrangements.

If a patient wants to claim exemption from the NHS prescription charge under Universal Credit, pharmacy staff must make sure that they: • Check that the patient has a valid Universal Credit award letter notice bearing their name (either as the recipient or because they are a partner or child of the recipient).

• Ask the patient to tick the “incomebased Jobseeker’s Allowance” exemption (until the back of

prescription forms are updated to include Universal Credit) and sign the declaration.

• Remind the patient they should make sure they are still eligible each month, i.e. in case their circumstances change or check if their earnings are still within the threshold limits during their most recent monthly assessment period.

• Inform the patient that it is their responsibility to determine the accuracy of the declaration they make.

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lpcs

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funding and statistics

LPC conference inputs into PSNC strategy for 2016 LPC members embrace their opportunity to feed into PSNC’s work for the next year during their annual conference.

Local Pharmaceutical Committees (LPCs) met for their annual national conference in Birmingham last month discussing current community pharmacy problems, successes and priorities for the future. The conference was held before PSNC’s planning meeting later in November so that the views of LPCs and the contractors they represent could be taken into account by PSNC as discussed its plans for 2016.

The conference, chaired by PSNC Chairman Sir Michael Pitt, opened with a wide ranging report from PSNC’s Chief Executive Sue Sharpe updating LPCs on PSNC’s work on IT, discretionary payments, the national flu vaccination service, prescription direction and pricing accuracy. Sue also spoke about the pressures on NHS funding and the compelling evidence to use community pharmacy to relieve costs elsewhere: PSNC’s Pharmacy 5 Point Plan being an important part of the case to make better use of pharmacy.

With over 200 attendees there followed two lively discussions on the priorities for pharmacy IT and how the core pharmacy contract should evolve to facilitate service development; both topics selected by LPC regional groups as being the top areas for debate and LPC input. The day concluded with a summary of key points flowing from the discussions (see key points box).

Key points from the 2015 LPC Conference • LPCs support a strong national contract with services linked to medicines supply and better integration with GPs and the rest of the NHS, whilst remaining diverse and accessible for patients.

• LPCs want PSNC to continue to press for resolution to: prescription direction, pricing accuracy, discretionary payments, branded generics, the burden of increase demands for MDS and to ensure fair treatment of contractors.

• LPCs look to PSNC to be as supportive as possible to LPCs (e.g. facilitating even more sharing of experience and using our resources for and staying close to LPCs).

• LPCs say there is no more slack in the system and this must be recognised.

PSNC Leadership Academy launched To support the development of future LPC leaders who can meet the needs of community pharmacy in an evolving NHS, the PSNC Leadership Academy was launched at this year’s LPC Conference.

Details of what is involved, how LPC members can apply and the selection process can be found in the LPC Members Area of the PSNC website. The deadline for applications is 6th January 2016.

PSNC statement on centralised dispensing In response to a call for more centralised dispensing of prescriptions by NHS England's Chief Pharmaceutical Officer Keith Ridge, PSNC issued the following statement.

Remote assembly of medicines could benefit community pharmacies as a means of outsourcing, freeing up staff time to provide greater support to patients. However, centralised dispensing on any scale in the UK is untested, and it is not clear whether it is possible to make cost savings within our current medicines supply regulations. The cost and service levels will be critical to the business viability of this innovation, and it is by no

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means certain that in the tight financial environment for community pharmacy the figures will stack up.

While we would support moves to create a level playing field for pharmacies, our great concern is that this proposal, and the statement that two thirds of medicines could be dispensed centrally or remotely, is being seen by some as an opportunity to replace the community pharmacy service with a remote supply operation. This would be extremely detrimental, primarily in reducing the care and support provided to patients, and particularly older people.

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Manufacturer and wholesaler opening hours during the Christmas holiday period Do you know the days and times your regular supplier is open over Christmas?

PSNC has put together a quick reference guide for pharmacy teams.

Telephone number

Thurs 24th Dec

Tues 29th Dec

Weds 30th Dec

Thurs 31st Dec

Depends on your depot – see our website if unsure.

09.00 – 18.00

09.00 – 18.00

09.00 – 18.00

09.00 – 18.00

Alloga UK AstraZeneca Boehringer-Ingelheim Chiesi Daiichi Sankyo Eli Lilly

01773 510 123 0800 783 0033 01244 586 250 0161 488 5521 01753 893 600 0800 012 1178

08.30 – 17.30 09.00 – 12.00 09.00 – 16.00 08.30-12.00 09.00 – 12.00 09.00 – 17.00

01753 893 600

No orders taken

GSK Novartis Pfizer Phoenix Sigma Waymade

020 8990 9000 0845 741 9442 0845 608 8866 01322 619930 0800 358 4427 01268 535 200

08.00 – 12.30 08.00 –14.30 09.00 – 17.15 08.00 – 16.00 08.30 – 18.00 09.00 – 14.00

08.30 – 17.30 09.00 – 15.00 09.00 – 16.00 Closed Closed 09.00 – 17.00 Orders taken for delivery 09.30 – 12.30 09.00 – 16.00 09.00 – 17.00 08.00 – 20.00 08.30 – 19.00 Closed

09.00 – 18.00 09.00 – 15.00 09.00 – 16.00 Closed Closed 09.00 – 17.00

Genzyme

08.30 – 17.30 09.00 – 15.00 09.00 – 16.00 Closed Closed 09.00 – 17.00 Orders taken for delivery 09.30 – 12.30 09.00 – 16.00 09.00 – 17.00 08.00 – 20.00 08.30 – 19.00 Closed

Alliance Healthcare

No orders taken 09.30 – 12.30 08.00 – 14.30 09.00 – 17.00 08.00 – 16.00 08.30 – 19.00 Closed

Further notices and details of cut-off times for deliveries can be found at: tinyurl.com/xmaswholesaler15. The PSNC Dispensing and Supply Team will continue to add to this page as more information becomes available.

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.

Community pharmacy statistics The Health & Social Care Information Centre has published General Pharmaceutical Services in England 2005/06 to 2014/15 (dld.bz/ecaks), which provides data on community pharmacy and appliance contractors in England.

Healthcare devolution briefing As more areas sign up to devolution deals, the King’s Fund has published a briefing, Devolution: what it means for health and social care in England (dld.bz/edf5q).

Free HIV home test kits launched Public Health England (PHE) has launched the first nationally available HIV kit for testing those at higherrisk, alongside announcing new funding for innovative HIV prevention projects.

The NHS spending gap NHS Confederation has produced an infographic (dld.bz/ecakk) which explains why the NHS is expected to have a £30bn funding gap by 2020/21 and how the gap could be filled.

Drug user infections report PHE’s annual report Shooting up:

infections among people who inject drugs in the UK (dld.bz/ecakj) found that almost half of people (48%) who are injecting drug users were unaware of having hepatitis C, although rates of HIV among this group remain low (1%).

PHE data and analysis tools PHE has brought together the many high quality data and analysis tools and resources for public health professionals (dld.bz/ecakn). The listings cover a wide range of public health areas, including lifestyle risk factors such as smoking.

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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.

Pharmacy's role in urgent care

NHS England has published ‘Quick Guide: Extending the role of community pharmacy in urgent care’.

It includes examples of services which could be commissioned on a local basis, as well as highlighting nationally commissioned services.

Read the guide at: dld.bz/dZXDv

Sexual health e-course

The Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) has launched a new sexual health in pharm acies elearning programme which will equip pharm acists and their teams to deliver a sexual health service.

Find out more about the course at: dld.bz/e auy3

Consultation skills newsletter

on Skills for The latest issue of CPPE's Consultati includes letter news Pharmacy Practice (CSfPP) the on 's what and new 's information on what P. CSfP horizon for It also includes top messages to share with colleagues about developing their consultation skills.

Read more, including how to get your copy, at: dld.bz/eb4ZK

Useful pages of PSNC website

Antibiotic Guardians – new webpage about antibiotic resistance providing further information for pharm acy teams at: dld.bz/eam7Y Prescribing rights – han dy guide to help identify which produc ts different prescriber types are entitled to prescribe at: psnc.org .uk/prescrib ing

Children and young people e-course

CPPE has launched a new e-learning progr amme – ‘Consulting with children and young people ’ – as an expansion of their consultation skills portfolio.

The e-learning programme has been develo ped to encourage pharmacy professionals to place children at the centre of their own care. As many childre n are not included in discussions of their health, involvi ng them may help improve wellbeing and encourage owner ship of health.

It describes the skills and knowledge neede d to engage with children and young people successfully as well as the behaviours to demonstrate to ensure a patient-centred approach is maintained.

Find out more about the course at: dld.bz/e bUDz

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psnc’s work

funding and statistics

contract and it

dispensing and supply

Ask PSNC PSNC gets asked many questions every month, from the latest Drug Tariff updates to how to claim payment for national services. Here we answer some of the most commonly asked questions in recent months.

Dispensing and Supply 1. I have a prescription for Sigvaris Comfort class 1 below knee open toe normal and Sigvaris Comfort class 2 below knee open toe normal; how many prescription charges will apply?

Two prescription charges will apply. Multiple prescription charges for lymphoedema garments apply where completely different base garments (i.e. open toe, closed toe) or the same garment of differing compression sizes (i.e. Class 1, Class 2) are ordered.

Only one prescription charge is payable if the base garments or compression sizes are the same (i.e. both open toe or both class 1). If the size (i.e. S, M, L, XL or I, II, III, IV, V) or length (i.e. standard, petite, short or long – not below knee or thigh high) or colour is different, this would still be one prescription charge regardless of quantity.

2. If an optional extra is prescribed with a lymphoedema garment on the same prescription, will an extra prescription charge apply?

No, optional extras are classed as no charge items. No additional fees or charges are payable because all that is being dispensed is the base garment with optional modifications.

3. I am working in an English pharmacy but have a prescription originating from elsewhere in the UK, do I need to collect the NHS prescription charge?

Prescription charges vary depending on where in the UK the prescription was issued. Here’s our simple guide to help you determine when you need to collect a prescription charge: English prescriptions Welsh prescriptions

Collect NHS prescription charges according to English rules.

Scottish prescriptions Northern Irish prescriptions

No prescription charges.

Note: only certain types of prescription forms are allowed to be dispensed in England. The full list is available on our website at: psnc.org.uk/prescriptionforms Look out for more frequently asked questions next month...

For example: Jobskin MTM Premium class 2 armsleeve lymphoedema garment FP0501-2 = 1 patient charge and 1 dispensing fee. Reimbursement is made for both the base garment and the optional extra at the Drug Tariff list price.

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 info@psnc.org.uk).

National flu service 1. Can a vaccination be provided to a patient in an eligible group who is registered with an NHS GP practice and lives elsewhere in England or one of the other home countries, e.g. Scotland?

There are no geographical restrictions placed on provision of the service to eligible patients registered with an NHS GP practice.

2. Does a pharmacy contractor have to make a ‘prescription register’ entry for each administration of vaccine under the national Patient Group Direction (PGD)?

No. The records required to be maintained by the PGD, which are those included in the Flu Vaccination Record and Consent Form, made on the date of administration meet the requirements to make records in the Human Medicines Regulations.

These records may be kept as a paper record or electronically.

3. Will the flu vaccination service be commissioned on an ongoing basis?

As with any service commissioned by the NHS, it will be necessary to demonstrate that the service is offering value for money and having a positive impact on patient care. The existing evidence on locally commissioned flu vaccination services is however very strong and PSNC anticipates that this will also be the case for the national flu vaccination service.

Pharmacy bodies address low flu jab rates concern After the Royal College of General Practitioners raised concerns that their members have given 6% fewer flu jabs than this time last year, PSNC, Pharmacy Voice and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society highlighted the great work community pharmacy teams have been doing to reach more patients in eligible groups.

An extract from their joint statement: “Community pharmacy offers a convenient high street access as an alternative for people including historically hard to reach groups and we will continue to work with GPs to try to increase overall uptake of the vaccination.” (Read in full: dld.bz/ean77)

More FAQs on the flu vaccination service can be viewed at psnc.org.uk/flufaqs psnc.org.uk 9

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Dispensing Factsheet: Where to Obtain External Resources Below is a table outlining how to source commonly required resources for community pharmacy teams.

Resource

Where to obtain the resource from

British National Formulary (BNF)

Community pharmacies receive hard copy versions of the BNF once a year (in September). Pharmacies with one registered pharmacist will receive a single copy of BNF/BNFc, and pharmacies with two or more registered pharmacists will receive two copies. Those who have not received any copies should call Binleys on 01268 495 609 or email BNF@Binleys.com to ensure they are registered.

The March print edition can be purchased online using the Pharmaceutical Press website (pharmpress.com) or via their fulfilment company Macmillan Distribution (call 01256 302 699 or email direct@macmillan.co.uk).

Please also note that BNF and BNFc content can be accessed online via the MedicinesComplete website: medicinescomplete.com/about/publications.htm.

Controlled Drug Requisition Forms (FP10CDF)

Requisitions not received on the new mandatory form after 30th November 2015 cannot be processed by the Pricing Authority. The new mandatory form can be obtained online from the Pricing Authority’s website: nhsbsa.nhs.uk/PrescriptionServices/1120.aspx. They can be downloaded, completed online, printed and signed in wet ink.

Department of Health Publications

A number of publications are available from the Department of Health Publications Order line. You can order by calling 0300 123 1002 or download copies from their website: orderline.dh.gov.uk.

Dispensing Tokens (FP10DT)

Your local office of Primary Care Support Services is responsible for the issuing of Dispensing Tokens (FP10DT). If you need copies, please contact your local office of Primary Care Support Services or email pcsengland@capita.co.uk.

Drug Tariff

Copies of the Drug Tariff are sent out every month to all pharmacy contractors in England. If you don’t receive your copy, please contact your local office of Primary Care Support Services or email pcsengland@capita.co.uk. Some pharmacy teams find it useful to use the online version which can be accessed from the Pricing Authority’s website: psnc.org.uk/dt.

Equality Act Toolkit (Formerly DDA Toolkit)

NHS Primary Care Commissioning published a toolkit to assist pharmacy contractors to comply with their obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act. Whilst the legislation has now been consolidated into the Equality Act 2010, the toolkit may still be used to help pharmacy teams identify the adjustments that may be needed. The toolkit, plus further information about the Equality Act, can be found at: psnc.org.uk/ea.

FP34C Submission Document

Copies of Form FP34C, which is used when submitting NHS prescription forms for pricing, are sent out monthly by the Pricing Authority. If the form hasn’t arrived by the end of the month, please call the NHS Prescription Services Help Desk on 0300 330 1349.

FP34PCD Submission Document

Private prescription forms for Controlled Drugs (FP10PCD) must be submitted to the Pricing Authority monthly along with a special FP34PCD submission document. The submission document can be downloaded from the Pricing Authority’s website: nhsbsa.nhs.uk/PrescriptionServices/1120.aspx.

FP57 (Receipt and Refund Your local office of Primary Care Support Services is responsible for issuing the FP57 (Receipt and Refund Forms) Forms) to pharmacy teams, on request. If you need copies, please contact your local office of Primary Care Support Services or email pcsengland@capita.co.uk.

FP95 Application for a Prescription Pre-payment Certificate

Your local office of Primary Care Support Services is responsible for issuing the FP95 Application for a Prescription Pre-payment Certificate to pharmacy teams, on request. If you need copies, please contact your local office of Primary Care Support Services or email pcsengland@capita.co.uk.

Help with Health Costs Promotional Material

A range of information materials for patients on ‘Help with Health Costs' can be found on the Pricing Authority’s website: nhsbsa.nhs.uk/792.aspx.

Hints & Tips Newsletter

The Pricing Authority produces a quarterly newsletter which is published on the Pricing Authority’s website (nhsbsa.nhs.uk/3191.aspx), where you can also sign up for emails alerting you when a new edition is released.

NHS Prescription Services A database created by the Pricing Authority which enables pharmacy teams to find answers to some common “Ask Us” database queries. This can be found on the Pricing Authority’s website: tinyurl.com/nhsbsahelp.

Patient Safety Incident Reporting Form

Contractors can report patient safety incidents to the National Reporting and Learning Service (NRLS) at: eforms.nrls.nhs.uk/staffreport.

PSNC guidance on patient safety incident reporting and template forms to use in the pharmacy are available on our website: psnc.org.uk/patientsafety.

Prescription Recheck Request Form

If a contractor requires a prescription bundle rechecked from the preceding 18 months, they must request so using the appropriate form. The Pricing Authority’s recheck request form can be downloaded from the Pricing Authority’s website: nhsbsa.nhs.uk/PrescriptionServices/3456.aspx.

Smartcards

Local NHS England teams are responsible for establishing local Registration Authorities (RAs) to manage the issuing of smartcards to access the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS). Find RA contact details at: psnc.org.uk/RAs

10 Community Pharmacy News – December 2015

lpcs

psnc’s work

funding and statistics

Drug Tariff listing changes

Problems obtaining a medicine or appliance?

Changes to the Drug Tariff impact on reimbursement so it's important to take note when amendments are made to product listings. Below are some changes which took effect recently.

Deletion of Co-proxamol 32.5mg/325mg tablets Co-proxamol 32.5mg/325mg tablets have been removed from Part VIIIA of the Drug Tariff as of 1st December.

Therefore, prescriptions for Co-proxamol 32.5mg/325mg tablets will need to be endorsed as an unlicensed medicine which is not listed in Part VIIIB of the Drug Tariff. For an unlicensed medicine which is not listed in Part VIIIB of the Drug Tariff and has been sourced under a manufacturer’s specials/importer’s licence issued by the MHRA, endorse: • Amount dispensed over pack size used; • Invoice price per pack size (e.g. “£30/pack”) from which the order was supplied, less any discount or rebate; • Manufacturer’s/importer’s MHRA specials license number; • Batch number of unlicensed product; and • SP

contract and it

Prescriptions forms for unlicensed specials and imports should be separated from the rest of the bundle and placed in the red separator for submission. Recording requirements for unlicensed specials and imports should continue to be made as required by the MHRA. Further information can be found on endorsing unlicensed medicines on our Dispensing Factsheet: Unlicensed Specials and Imports, which can be downloaded from: tinyurl.com/unlicensed-imports Removal from Part VIIIB Methotrexate 10mg/5ml oral solution and suspension have been removed from Part VIIIB of the Drug Tariff as of 1st December. There is now a listing for a licensed alternative, Methotrexate 2mg/ml oral solution sugar free (available as a special container in 35ml and 65ml) which can be found in Part VIIIA.

Pharmacy teams who experience problems in obtaining medicines (generic or branded) or appliances are reminded to feed this back to the PSNC Dispensing and Supply Team to support PSNC’s ongoing representation of issues in the supply chain.

PSNC passes a monthly summary of the feedback received to the Department of Health to support their monitoring of the situation. This information is also used as an evidence base in discussions with manufacturers on manufacturer-specific problems, for example highlighting problems with contingency arrangements and promoting solutions.

Please make sure you let us know about any supply issues by using our online feedback forms at: psnc.org.uk/feedback

Can it be dispensed on an FP10?

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 listed in the Drug Tariff?

Does it have a ‘CE’ mark?

Is it in the blacklist?

Can it be dispensed on an FP10?

Additional information

Deep Heat Patch

No

Yes

n/a

No

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

Soffban Bandages

No

Yes

n/a

No

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

Medihoney barrier cream

Yes

Yes

n/a

Yes

This item is a medical device (CE marked) and appears in Part IX of the Drug Tariff.

Flexitol Heel Balm 56 gram

No

Yes

n/a

No

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

Please note: only pack sizes listed in Part IXA of the Drug Tariff are allowed.

psnc.org.uk 11

dispensing and supply

services and commissioning

the healthcare landscape

Drug Tariff Watch The first section of the Drug Tariff is the Preface. The Preface contains valuable information relevant for both the current edition and the next. It lists additions, deletions and any other alterations to the Drug Tariff. The Preface should ideally be checked each month to identify products which are entering or being removed from the Tariff as well as those products changing between categories or, in the case of Category C items, changes to the brand used for pricing.

During dispensing, it is important to note which products are listed in the Drug Tariff as well as which category products are entering into and the pack sizes being included in these entries. This is because reimbursement will be based on this classification and its endorsement requirements. Incorrect endorsement can lead to incorrect or delay in payment.

It is also important to know the category of an item when claiming certain payments (e.g. OOP expenses) because these are not allowed for some categories. For more information visit psnc.org.uk/oop Below is a quick summary of some the changes due to take place from 1st January 2016.

Part XX – Requsitions and private prescriptions for Controlled Drugs Contractors should note changes made to this Part – see article on page 4.

Part VIIIA additions Category C Additions: • Oxybutynin 2.5mg/5ml oral solution sugar free (150ml) Category C - Thame Laboratories Ltd • Oxybutynin 5mg/5ml oral solution sugar free (150ml) Category C - Thame Laboratories Ltd

Part VIIIA amendments • Naproxen 375mg gastro-resistant tablets (56) is changing to Category C Actavis UK Ltd • Pethidine 100mg/2ml solution for injection ampoules (10) is changing to Category C Martindale Pharmaceuticals Ltd • Prednisolone 25mg tablets (56) is changing to Category A • Tolfenamic acid 200mg tablets (10) is changing to Category A • Wild cherry syrup (2000ml) is changing to Category C J M Loveridge 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.

• Chloroform and Morphine tincture (500ml) Category C - J M Loveridge Ltd • Lithium carbonate 250mg tablets (100) Category C - Camcolit 250

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.

Manufacturer Coloplast Ltd

DreamSkin (formerly DreamSkin Silk) CliniMed Ltd Opus Healthcare ConvaTec Ltd

Product description Conveen EasiCath, Paediatric, 8-10Ch Conveen Easicath 30cm, 8-10Ch SpeediCath Complete, Female, 10-14Ch SpeediCath Complete, Male, 10-14Ch Body Suit, 0-6 months Baby Leggings with foldaway feet (formerly Leggings), 0-6 months BioDerm XLS (Oval) Ultra Cleanse Skin Cleanser Vitala, Continence Control Device (for end colostomy), 45mm (for 45mm Combihesive Natura flange) Vitala, Continence Control Device (for end colostomy), 57mm (for 57mm Combihesive Natura flange)

All details correct at time of printing.

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The publishers accept no responsibility for any statement made in signed contributions or in those reproduced from any other source.

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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, Times House, 5 Bravingtons Walk, London N1 9AW 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: 0844 381 4180 or 0203 122 0810

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