January 2016 CPN

CPN

Community Pharmacy News – January 2016

PSNC criticises Government proposals for pharmacy PSNC CEO calls for the community pharmacy sector to pull together to help ensure patients won't suffer New Check34 features | EPS process changes | Drug Tariff factsheet

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A message from Sue Sharpe, PSNC Chief Executive Officer PSNC’s CEO responds to an open letter from the Government setting out a variety of proposals for community pharmacy services as well as announcing a 6% funding cut in 2016/17 “My team and I will battle for your interests in the face of a very difficult year” On 17th December 2015, in an open letter to PSNC from the Department of Health and NHS England, the Government announced that it would reduce community pharmacy funding in 2016/17 by at least £170m. You can find a link to the letter and PSNC’s response at dld.bz/eew9Z. Publication of an ‘offer’ is without precedent, and the reason is only clear when the rest of the letter is studied.

The letter is not exactly coherent, and lacks detail in critical areas, but it is evident that the Government is set on reducing pharmacy numbers and costs. The letter states the Government’s belief that the “efficiencies” (their word for the cut in funding) “can be made within community pharmacy without compromising the quality of services or public access to them”. It speaks about current locations of pharmacies and clusters, and says that “in some parts of the country there are more pharmacies than are necessary to maintain good access”. But it is silent on protecting patient choice, other than the choice to use online pharmacies which it wishes to drive.

It is also silent on appreciation of the social value of community pharmacy and the

extent to which pharmacies are a safety valve for a beleaguered NHS. Then on Boxing Day the media publicised heavily urgent pleas to the public to only visit A+E if absolutely essential, and instead to consult a community pharmacist.

We face a very difficult year. The contractors who represent you on PSNC, who are your colleagues, will work with me and my team to battle for your interests, and those of the patients you care for. They have a great responsibility and will fight to secure the best outcome possible.

Community pharmacy must work together, and PSNC will work with the LPCs, and with other pharmacy organisations to ensure we all cooperate to play our different parts. We need your support.

Are you concerned about the cuts?

These are uncertain times and this latest Government announcement will be particularly worrying for pharmacy contractors. PSNC therefore urges any contractor who is concerned about the impact of large dispensing units on patients to share these concerns now with their MP. When writing to or emailing your MP be sure to highlight any particular examples of the ways in which you and your pharmacy team have helped your patients and local community recently.

You should also ask what the MP can do to reassure you that your patients won't suffer.

Contact details for your MP can be found on the Houses of Parliament website (www.parliament.uk/findyourmp) and please contact PSNC if you need any help or support.

Look out for further details of how you can support our work in this area on the PSNC website.

RPS Fellowship for PSNC Members PSNC members Mark Burdon and Peter Cattee have both been appointed Fellows of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS).

The Fellowships recognise distinctions that RPS members have attained in their pharmacy careers and they are based on nominations from other members.

Mark is an elected PSNC Regional Representative and chairs PSNC’s Resource, Development and Finance Subcommittee. Also an independent contractor, Mark maintains close links to the school of pharmacy at the University of Sunderland and sitting on PSNC’s Drug Tariff working group.

Peter was elected to PSNC from the non-Company Chemists’ Association multiples. As the Chief Executive Officer of PCT Healthcare, parent company for two community pharmacy chains operating in Derbyshire and Manchester, he is well placed to Chair PSNC’s Funding and Contract Subcommittee.

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Brand new features for Check34 analysis tool EPS nominations, flu vaccination fees and script source analysis are the latest additions to PSNC’s Check34 prescription payment analysis tool.

The latest additions to the Check34 service allow you to track your fee income from offering a flu vaccination service, and compare your performance with other pharmacies that are offering the service locally and nationally.

Three new key performance indicators (KPI) are now available for community pharmacy contractors using Check34.

Contractors with Check34 accounts will now be able to log in and see: 1. Flu vaccination fees – how many fees/vaccinations you have been paid for (from September 2015 onwards); 2. Script source analysis – which GP practices your prescriptions are coming from (top three surgeries each month – number of scripts + percentage of total); and 3. EPS nominations – total number of nominations for your pharmacy each month (this information appears on the Paper vs EPS KPI.)

The EPS nomination KPI means you can monitor the number of patients who are nominating your pharmacy for EPS prescriptions as the switch from paper to EPS gathers pace. How fast are your EPS nominations growing? Does this reflect your share of prescriptions from local surgeries?

The script source analysis lets you see which GP practices provide the majority of your scripts and allows you to track changes in script number from each surgery month by month. The KPI shows the addresses of your main surgeries, the total number of scripts/items from each month and the percentage of your total items.

As well as new KPIs there are some other changes to help you get more out of Check34: • The red/amber/green traffic light system has been revised so that good results are now coded blue instead of red (‘good’ means where the figure for the month appears above the trend line and higher than the 90% confidence limit).

• An option now exists for you to print out KPI graphs direct to your printer.

• For those who use the reporting tool on a regular basis to extract figures, you can now save your search criteria, so you can pull off the same report month after month without having to rekey all the parameters.

• For single pharmacy accounts the KPI dashboard will now display as your homepage when you first sign in. If you want to go to the administration area, use the link in the menu on the left of the screen.

Check34 webinar now available on-demand Community pharmacy contractors can now access an online recording of PSNC’s recent webinar which explained how to get the most benefit from the Check34 prescription payment analysis tool.

More than 150 people tuned in to the webinar on 30th November when PSNC’s Check34 Project Manager Patrick Grice and Head of Pricing Harpreet Chana demonstrated how you can use Check34 to analyse the performance of your prescription business and answered viewers’ questions.

Did you miss out or do you just want to watch again?

The webinar is now available to watch at: psnc.org.uk/webinar. To view the recording you will need to register (or input the email address you registered with previously).

More than 150 people tuned in on the night (41% of those who had registered) The presenters were asked a total of 23 questions on the night

?

The average viewing time was 54 minutes (out of a possible 90 minutes)

Category M price changes The new Category M prices from the Department of Health (DH) for prescriptions dispensed from January until March 2016 represent a reduction of £15m per month.

Available information for 2015/16 suggests that an over-delivery of margin is being made in the current financial year; therefore DH and PSNC have agreed it is prudent to seek to reduce margins now. This will smooth the delivery of margin and minimise the need for any future adjustments. View the January 2016 Category M prices at: dld.bz/edY2z

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EPS prescription process changes The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) has announced alterations to the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) prescriber cancellation and repeat dispensing processes.

Electronic Prescription Service

Prescriber cancellation

Repeat dispensing logic

From February 2016, a change will be made relating to the cancellation of items that have been marked as Not Dispensed (ND) by the pharmacy team.

From February 2016, a change will be made relating to the timing for which subsequent repeat dispensing (RD) batch issues can be downloaded.

The cancellation process is used when a prescriber decides that they need to cancel an EPS prescription which they have issued, for example, because of a decision to change the prescription to a different product. The EPS process can only occur if the prescription has not been downloaded by a pharmacy. If it has been downloaded the prescriber will need to contact the pharmacy or the patient.

However, when a member of the pharmacy team uses the ND endorsement on an item following a practice request for cancellation, the GP system will not confirm successful cancellation. This may lead to inaccuracies within the patient medical record on the prescriber’s system and the pharmacy team may then be asked to return the prescription to the central NHS Spine.

The change to the EPS system, from February 2016 onwards, will mean that where a GP practice requests EPS cancellation of an item and the item is marked as ND, the GP system will be updated to reflect the successful cancellation.

The current logic uses timing linked with the sending of dispense messages.

This can lead to delays in the automatic download of subsequent issues if a previous dispense message is sent late. Any delay may risk items not being prepared in time.

Following the change, the timing for when the next batch issue is available to download from the Spine will be linked with the GP practice’s intended date. A dispense message should still be sent in accordance with your processes, but this will not delay the start of the automatic countdown to the next issue.

Please check the PSNC website for further information on these changes, including the exact date of implementation.

Current process for EPS RD issue timing

New process (late Feb 2016 onwards)

Pharmacy can use the EPS reference to pull down batch issues early where needed

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Spine allows early download of subsequent batch issues to pharmacy associated with date previous issue had its dispense message sent

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Spine allows early download of subsequent batch issues to pharmacy associated with GP issue/appropriate date

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CPPE launch Apps for pharmacy guide The Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) has launched their latest edition of the Apps for pharmacy guide.

The guide is updated on a yearly basis and contains details of a number of health-related apps for pharmacy professionals and their patients. The guide includes icons to show if apps are available for Apple or Android devices or both, and lists health apps as those that can be used: • as a source of information for pharmacy professionals; • during consultations with patients; and • to signpost patients to use to support a healthy lifestyle.

The guide can be downloaded from: dld.bz/efDrr

Found this interesting?

Then check out our new ‘CPPE corner’ feature which contains much more about CPPE’s work and can be found on page 6.

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 4 Community Pharmacy News – January 2016

© PSNC

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Contract Factsheet: Pharmacy opening hours in 2016 Are you aware of pharmacy opening hour requirements in the terms of service? Here we explain all you need to know for the public holidays in 2016.

PSNC’s Regulations and Support Team are often asked questions about the requirements in the terms of service relating to opening hours. We have therefore produced this quick reference guide for 2016.

Day of the week

Covered by the Regulations?

Can the pharmacy close without giving notice?

25th March 2016

Friday

Easter Sunday

27th March 2016

Sunday

Easter Monday*

28th March 2016

Monday

Early May Bank Holiday*

2nd May 2016

Monday

Spring Bank Holiday*

30th May 2016

Monday

Summer Bank Holiday*

29th August 2016

Monday

Christmas Day

25th December 2016

Sunday

3 3 3 3 3 3 3

3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Christmas Day (substitute day)*

27th December 2016 (substitute day declared bank holiday as Christmas Day falls on a Sunday this year)

Tuesday

3

3

Boxing Day*

26th December 2016

Monday

New Years’ Day 2017

1st January 2017

Sunday

New Years’ Day 2017 (substitute day)*

2nd January 2017

Monday

3 7 3

3 7 3

Name of holiday

Date in 2016

Good Friday

*These dates are not specifically mentioned by name but because they are official “bank holidays” they will be covered by the Regulations

Frequently Asked Questions 1. Can I close my pharmacy on these days?

Yes. Community pharmacy contractors can close their pharmacies on days which are specifically mentioned in the Regulations (namely Christmas Day, Good Friday, Easter Sunday) or a day which has been designated as a “bank holiday” unless directed to open by NHS England.

2. What about my core contractual hours?

A pharmacy will be treated as having been open for its usual hours on that day for the purpose of counting the core contractual hours that week. Therefore the contractor can close their pharmacy on the days indicated without giving notice or making an application to change their core hours.

3. Are there exceptional circumstances when I must open on these days?

Yes. If a contractor has been directed to open their pharmacy by NHS England.

4. Can I close my pharmacy early any other time?

Sometimes contractors may wish to close an hour or so earlier than usual on a particular day for any reason. If the hours that the contractor wishes to close early are supplementary hours, then notice of that intention should be given at least three months in advance. If the hours are core hours, then an application is needed, and the contractor would have to be able to satisfy NHS England that there have been changes to the needs of people in the area, otherwise the application would likely to be refused.

Unless you have notified NHS England of changes to your supplementary hours at least three months before the date or applied successfully for amendment of core hours, the contractor will not be able to close early.

5. Do I need to notify NHS England of opening intentions on bank holidays?

Contractors are encouraged to inform NHS

England whether their premises will be open on bank holidays.

This information is of critical importance to NHS England in order that it is able to plan pharmacy provision during holiday periods.

If NHS England is not able to determine the opening hours of pharmacies with a high degree of certainty, its only option may be to issue directions to one or more pharmacies requiring them to open.

This clearly is not in the best interests of pharmacies if there are other suitable pharmacies that would have been open; so PSNC recommends that all contractors notify their intentions and then open as they have notified.

NHS England has published template forms which can be used for notification of opening intentions; these are available at: tinyurl.com/zwtgvrc For more information, including a comprehensive list of FAQs, please visit: psnc.org.uk/hours

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CPPE Corner: Summary Care Records Welcome to the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE)’s new feature in CPN, which will appear here every month. We will focus on additions to our learning portfolio which will benefit community pharmacy professionals.

Our first offering centres on our new e-learning programme – Summary Care Records (SCR) in community pharmacy. Community pharmacy access to SCR will begin early this year, allowing us as pharmacy professionals to make better and more informed decisions about patient care.

Providing key clinical information about patients from their GP records, SCR has important information governance controls regarding privacy of patients’ records (confidentiality) and permission to view them (consent).

CPPE has produced this e-learning programme and associated assessment covering the important aspects of accessing and using SCR, presenting case studies and practice points so you can see how access can enhance your own practice.

We also look at how to make good records following consultations, development of a standard operating procedure and the role of the privacy officer.

The assessment is a prerequisite for role-based access on your NHS Smartcard. You can access the programme on our website at: tinyurl.com/SCRcourse

Latest courses from CPPE The contraception e-learning programme guides pharmacy professionals through common scenarios encountered when delivering contraceptive services to help them confidently provide advice to patients. Find out more at: dld.bz/eefd2 Alcohol misuse: support and advice from the pharmacy team aims to help pharmacy professionals develop the knowledge and skills needed to provide an alcohol identification and brief advice service. The course looks at the impact of alcohol misuse on health, personal relationships and wider society. Find out more at: dld.bz/eg72h Consulting with people with mental health problems is a new e-learning programme which teaches pharmacy professionals how to prepare and approach these consultations so that people will get the most benefit from them. Find out more at: dld.bz/ec8XU

Pharmacist Support – Your charity The Benevolent Fund was first established 175 years ago by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and, since the charity's relaunch as Pharmacist Support in 2008, it has provided over 7,000 individual acts of support.

Whilst celebrating this significant milestone, Pharmacist Support continues to provide relevant and effective support to those in the profession through its Health Support Programme and the Listening Friends stress helpline.

However, as a charity, Pharmacist Support relies on the generosity of pharmacists and pharmacy organisations to be able to continue their work. Find out about the way you can support their work or make a donation at: www.justgiving.com/pharmacistsupport/donate For further information visit www.pharmacistsupport.org, email info@pharmacistsupport.org or call 0808 168 2233.

Pharmacy and vulnerable groups event On 24th February, The King’s Fund are hosting a conference that aims to address the crucial role that pharmacy plays in alleviating pressures on primary and secondary care, supporting higher quality patient care and improving efficiency by reducing NHS costs.

The tailored conference sessions will provide you with a key opportunity to discuss and debate how imaginative commissioners are increasingly getting real benefits from investing in pharmacists’ expertise. Speakers include Alistair Burt MP (Community and Social Care Minister), Sandra Gidley (RPS Chair), and Gary Warner (Chair of PSNC’s Service Development Committee).

Find out more about the event at: kingsfund.org.uk/vulnerablegroups

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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.

IG toolkit submission

The deadline for submission of the information governance (IG) toolkit is 31st March 2016. Guidance on completing the toolkit is available from: psnc.org.uk/ig PSNC also recommends that community pharmacy contractors use this opportunity to comprehensively review IG processes. See our top tips at: dld.bz/ege8P

Views sought for public health survey

The Royal Society for Public Health and Public Health England are working together to under stand the potential opportunities and challenges for pharm acy in delivering public health services, and they want your views.

They need pharmacy team members, commissioners and LPC Chief Officers to complete a surve y, which should take no longer than 10 minutes, by Friday 29th January 2016.

Complete the online survey at: tinyurl.com /gwy579v

Updated specials guidance

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has published updated guidance on the procurement and supply of specials.

It aims to support pharmacists and their teams to work with prescribers, patients and carers to ensure the safe and appropriate procurement and supply of specials and optimising patient treatment.

Read and download the updated guidance at: dld.bz/eeM7F

How many flu vaccinations have you been paid for ... which GP practice do your prescriptions come from ... and how are you doing with EPS nominations?

Find out with THREE NEW KPIs at www.check34.com

Understand your NHS business better with Check34 Not yet got an account? Email check34admin@psnc.org.uk for more information.

PSNC regularly receives questions from LPCs and pharmacy contractors about what is going on in the wider health and care landscape beyond community pharmacy. For a more comprehensive round-up, please visit: psnc.org.uk/hclbriefings

There are over 10,000 more hospital admissions a day than 10 years ago NHS England has allocated £560 billion of funding to deliver Five Year Forward View

Patients will order 15 million repeat prescriptions online this financial year Approximately half of CCGs will have delegated responsibility for commissioning GP services from April 2016 psnc.org.uk 7

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Ask PSNC The PSNC Dispensing and Supply Team give pharmacy teams support and advice on a range of topics related to the Drug Tariff and reimbursement.

Questions asked in recent months have included: 1. How long is an NHS prescription valid for?

This depends on the type of prescription. The table below summarises the length of validity of different types of NHS prescription: Type of prescription

1st issue expiry*

Subsequent issues expiry

FP10 (excluding requests for Schedule 1, 2, 3 or 4 CDs)

6 months 12 months for repeatable prescriptions.

FP10 for Schedule 1, 2 or 3 CDs

28 days

N/A (Cannot be prescribed on repeatable prescriptions.)

FP10 for Schedule 4 CDs

28 days

12 months for repeatable prescriptions.

FP10MDA prescription

28 days

In accordance with instalment directions, a prescriber can request up to 14 days’ supply.

*from the ‘appropriate date’ (either the date the prescription was signed or the date indicated as the start date) 2. I have a prescription for Lacosamide 100mg tablets. This is not an item I regularly dispense and I cannot obtain these without incurring additional expenses for postage and packaging; can I claim out of pocket expenses (OOP)?

Yes, Lacosamide 100mg tablets are eligible for an OOP claim. This product is in Part VIIIA of the Drug Tariff and is a Category C line.

OOP expenses can be claimed, where in exceptional circumstances, the community pharmacy contractor has incurred expenses in obtaining the eligible products (see chart below) and where the product is not required to be frequently supplied by the contractor.

The products on which OOP expenses can be claimed are as follows:

3 • Part VIIIA Category C • Readily available medicinal products outside of Part VIIIA (including ACBS) • Part IXB • Part IXC

7 • Part VIIIA Category A and M • All unlicensed specials and imports* • Part IXA • Part IXR

* The ‘SP’ fixed fee for dispensing unlicensed specials and imports is a separate arrangement (see Part IIIA of the Drug Tariff).

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To ensure payment, contractors must endorse “OOP” (or “XP” for electronic prescription submission) with details of the claim being made (e.g. postage and packaging) along with the total amount being claimed.

For more information please visit: psnc.org.uk/oop 3. I have a prescription for Benzylpenicillin 1.2g powder for solution for injection vials, the prescriber has requested a quantity of 5 but they are only available in packs of 25. This is not an item I normally dispense and so I will not be able to use the remaining balance; can I claim broken bulk (BB)?

Yes, Benzylpenicillin 1.2g powder for solution for injection vials are eligible for a BB claim. This product is listed in Part VIIIA of the Drug Tariff and is a Category A line with the smallest listed pack size being over £50.

The products for which BB can be claimed are as follows:

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• Part VIIIA Category C • Part VIIIA Category A and M products with smallest listed pack size of £50 or over • Readily available medicinal products outside of Part VIIIA • Part IXB • Part IXC • Ingredients used to prepare an unlicensed special (extemporaneously dispensing)

• Special containers • Part VIIIA Category A and M products with smallest listed pack size of less than £50 • All unlicensed specials and imports* • Part IXA • Part IXR

* Unless claiming for ingredients used to prepare an unlicensed special extemporaneously dispensed.

For a claim to be accepted, contractors must dispense from the pack or combination of packs that minimises the residual balance. Contractors should only claim BB where it is unlikely that they will be able to dispense the remainder within the following six months.

To ensure reimbursement, contractors must endorse BB and the quantity dispensed over pack size used.

For more information please visit: psnc.org.uk/bb 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 (0844 381 4180 or 0203 1220 810 or e-mail info@psnc.org.uk).

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Dispensing Factsheet: The Drug Tariff Preface The first section of the Drug Tariff is the Preface. This section contains valuable information relevant to both the current and the next edition.

The Preface should ideally be checked each month because it provides important changes to the Drug Tariff such as: • products entering or being removed from Part VIII; • products changing between categories; • changes to the brand used for pricing Category C lines; • items entering or being deleted from the discount not deducted (DND) list; • items entering or being deleted from other Parts such as VIIIB, IX and ACBS; and • price changes.

This guide explains the importance of checking the Preface monthly and the key things to look out for.

Why it is important to check the Preface each month Changes in the Drug Tariff affect reimbursement.

It is important to note which lines are entering, changing category or pack size in, or being removed from, the Drug tariff as this can affect reimbursement and endorsement requirements. For

Other changes

Deletions

Additions

Part VIIIA

example, only particular categories of medicines are eligible for certain payments such as OOP expenses. Prescriptions without the appropriate endorsement can lead to incorrect or delayed payment.

Removal and notice of removal of appliances from Part IX is also very important to note, as appliances not listed in the Drug Tariff will be disallowed.

Advance Notice The Preface begins with changes which have been planned for the following month’s edition of the Drug Tariff. These will not come into effect until the first day of the following month; however, they are useful to look at to get an idea of what will be entering or is being removed from the Drug Tariff.

N.B. Not all changes will be listed because prior notice may not be given for all items.

Current edition changes This follows all the “Advance Notice” changes. This part provides you with a quick summary of changes coming into effect for this month’s prescriptions. The table below outlines key changes to look out for: Part VIIIB

• Which pack size(s) are being added?

• Which pack • Which category is it going into? (some payments such size(s) are as OOP can only be claimed against certain categories) being added?

• Is it a special container or item requiring reconstitution?

• Are any endorsements required?

• Has the product moved from Part VIIIB? • Are all pack sizes being removed?

• Has it been discontinued?

• Are any endorsements required?

• Has the product moved to Part VIIIA?

N.B. If there are no pack sizes left in the Drug Tariff, the item will need to be endorsed fully (i.e. brand or manufacturer name, price and pack size) in future.

• Has its special container status changed?

• Is it moving to a new category?

• If Category C, which brand will be used for payment?

N.B. Also be aware of the category of an item when claiming certain payments (e.g. OOP expenses).

Part IX • What is the product?

• Who will supply it?

• Which pack size(s) are being added?

N.B. Only Drug Tariff listed pack sizes are allowed on an NHS prescription.

• Which month will it be deleted in? (there is usually a three month notice of deletion) N.B. If you dispense a deleted product, prescriptions will be returned as disallowed and payment will not be made for dispensing the item.

• Has the reimbursement price changed?

• Is the product name changing?

• Will there be a dual listing?

N.B. A “dual listing” is a period of grace when both old and new names will be passed for payment so prescribers have time to change their habits.

TOP TIPS Remember: • Incorrect endorsement can lead to incorrect or delayed payment for items.

• Look out for additions or deletions to Part II of the Drug Tariff; these relate to the list of “Drugs for which discount is not deducted”.

• Double check which section of the Preface you are looking at to be certain of the date in which the change becomes effective.

Are you looking in the “Advance Notice” section or the changes to current Drug Tariff section?

• There are sometimes other additions, deletions and alterations in the Preface that are not about Part VIII and Part IX items.

These might not be directly relevant to the day-to-day running of your pharmacy, but they may help you to keep abreast of current NHS prescribing and NHS pharmacy services.

For the online version of the Drug Tariff, please visit: psnc.org.uk/drug-tariff-resources

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Drug Tariff Watch Below is a quick summary of the changes due to take place from 1st February 2016.

Key: SC Special Container Part VIIIA additions • Ciprofloxacin 0.3% / Dexamethasone 0.1% ear drops SC (5ml), Category C Cilodex • Diclofenac 140mg medicated plasters (2), Category C - Voltarol Part VIIIA amendments • Amantadine 100mg capsules (56) is changing to Category A • Nefopam 30mg tablets (90) is changing to Category A

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, the pack size from which the item was dispensed and price paid) in future.

• Dexibuprofen 300mg tablets (60), Category C - Seractil • Flexible collodion methylated (100ml), Category A • Haloperidol 5mg/1ml solution for injection ampoules (10), Category C AMCo • Kaolin mixture (200ml), Category A • Kaolin mixture paediatric (100ml), Category C - Thornton & Ross Ltd

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 payment will not be made for dispensing the item.

• Tegaderm Matrix - 5cm x 6cm • Acticoat Absorbent - Square 5cm x 5cm • Acticoat Absorbent - Rectangular 10cm x 12.5cm These changes were compiled using the Drug Tariff Preface.

Learn more about the Preface and its importance in our latest Dispensing Factsheet on page 9.

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 pharmacy contractor 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. Below is a list of some products 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

Dermalex Repair Scalp Psoriasis gel

No

Yes

n/a

No

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

Lidocaine 5% medicated plasters

Yes

No

No

Yes

This item is not a medical device (CE marked) nor does it appear in Part XVIIIA (the ‘blacklist’) of the Drug Tariff.

Sani-Cloth 70

No

Yes

n/a

No

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

Sigvaris initial

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: 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

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.

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