October 2015 CPN

CPN

Community Pharmacy News – October 2015

National flu service gets underway PSNC and NPA answer your questions live as service gets green light

Prescription direction poster | Showcasing local services | Eligible flu groups guide

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NHS England publishes flu service documentation Community pharmacy contractors can now access the necessary paperwork to begin providing the national flu vaccination service.

As of 16th September, pharmacy contractors that fully meet the requirements for provision of the Community Pharmacy Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Advanced Service can provide the service. This follows the amendment of the Secretary of State Directions and the publication of the national Patient Group Direction (PGD) on the NHS England website.

Links to the service specification, national PGD and Secretary of State Directions (which provide the legal basis for provision of the service) are available from psnc.org.uk/flu

Resources round up

Once contractors are fully ready to provide the service, they must notify NHS England of their intention to begin providing the service by completing a notification form on the NHS BSA website (a link to the form is available at psnc.org.uk/flu). PSNC has produced a detailed guidance document to support the preparation process and it includes a checklist which contractors can print out and work through to ensure they have everything they need in place to successfully provide the service.

Briefings PSNC has produced a number of briefings to help pharmacy teams with the service, including a poster showing the process to follow, responsive lines to use when faced with negativity and template radio scripts for promotion.

These can all be found on the Briefings Database (psnc.org.uk/briefings)

PSNC Briefing 053/15: Guidance on the Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Advanced Service can be found at psnc.org.uk/flubriefing Alastair Buxton, Director of NHS Services at PSNC, said: “The publication of the service specification and the completion of the regulatory changes mean community pharmacy teams can now start offering NHS flu vaccinations. Our guidance talks contractors through the preparation for the service step by step so we hope this will not have been too arduous. This is a very exciting time for community pharmacy and I look forward to hearing how pharmacy teams across England are getting behind the service and showing patients and the NHS what we can do!”

Patient communication materials PSNC has developed a range of patient communication materials which are available from psnc.org.uk/flupatientcomms PSNC has also been working to obtain translations of these materials and those we have so far can be found at the above link.

We are continuing to publish resources to help pharmacy teams and LPCs to promote the service and these will all be available from psnc.org.uk/flu

Frequently Asked Questions Q. The national PGD refers to groups of eligible patients not listed in Annex A of the service specification, e.g. morbidly obese patients. Does this mean pharmacists can administer vaccines to these additional groups of patients?

No. Only patients who fall into a group listed in Annex A of the service specification can be vaccinated as part of the service. This is clearly stated on page 4 of the national PGD. Q. Can I administer flu vaccinations at premises other than the pharmacy premises?

If a pharmacy receives a request from a long-stay residential care home or other

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long-stay care facility to vaccinate a resident/patient away from the pharmacy premises and approval is given

by NHS England then a contractor can provide vaccinations at a suitable location within the care home or care facility (contractors must follow the protocols set out in Annex C of the service specification). However, the service does not allow pharmacists to provide off-site vaccinations for any other group of patients at any other premises.

Q. Should pharmacy teams verify the eligibility of patients requesting flu vaccination under the service?

In many circumstances pharmacy teams

will know the patients who are requesting vaccination under the service and they will therefore be able to determine whether a patient falls within an eligible group as a result of knowledge of the patient and their patient medication record. There will however be circumstances where the patient is not known to the pharmacy team. In that case it will be necessary for the pharmacist to talk to the patient and to use their professional judgement to determine whether the patient falls within an eligible group. As part of the service patients must sign a form which contains a declaration that the information they have given in relation to the service is correct and complete.

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Flu vaccination service webinar now available on-demand Community pharmacy teams can now access an online recording of the recent joint webinar on the national flu vaccination service.

More than 1,000 people joined a webinar on the national flu vaccination service held by PSNC and the NPA last month (16th September).

Attendees first heard about the official documentation and requirements for provision of the service from PSNC’s Director of NHS Services, Alastair Buxton, and then it was over to Leyla Hannbeck, the NPA’s Head of Pharmacy Services, for support with the practicalities of getting started.

The final section of the webinar was dedicated to viewers’ questions but, with over 200 submitted, unfortunately not everyone’s questions could be answered. PSNC has now picked out the most commonly asked questions and added them to our flu FAQs page; a selection of these new FAQs have also been replicated in the banner across the bottom of this double page.

With the majority of attendees rating the webinar at least 4 out of 5, the feedback we received on the night was equally positive.

Q. What does the service specification mean when it says a contractor should seek to ensure that the service is available throughout the pharmacy’s contracted opening hours?

That wording reflects NHS England’s desire that the service is very accessible for patients and that there is therefore continuity of service provision across the full opening hours of the pharmacy. In previously commissioned local vaccination services, good availability of the service across the week was an aspect of the service that was highly valued by patients. Once a contractor starts to provide the service they must ensure, in so far as is practicable, that the service is available throughout the pharmacy’s core and supplementary opening hours.

So if you missed out, or just want to watch again, you will be happy to hear that an on-demand recording of the webinar is now available to watch at: psnc.org.uk/webinar

Are you on Twitter?

Follow @PSNCNews for the latest pharmacy news, including price concession updates, funding announcements, and useful resources.

You can also find PSNC's Director of NHS Services, Alastair Buxton, Head of Communications and Public Affairs, Zoe Smeaton, and Pharmacy and NHS Policy Officer, Rosie Taylor, on Twitter.

Q. What are the knowledge and skills required in order to provide a vaccination service?

The National Minimum Standards for Immunisation Training and the associated Core Curriculum for Immunisation Training set out the knowledge and skills that healthcare professionals undertaking vaccination services need to have. NHS England has determined that pharmacists providing the flu vaccination service need to attend face-to-face training for both injection technique and basic life support training every two years. This requirement means that a pharmacist who undertook face-to-face training for both injection technique and basic life support in 2014 would not need to undertake face-to-face training in 2015.

Assuming the service continues to be

commissioned in 2016, the pharmacist would then need to undertake face-toface training in order to continue to provide the service. Pharmacists who last undertook face-to-face training in 2013 would need to undertake face-to-face training in 2015, prior to providing the flu vaccination service.

Q. How do I claim payment for provision of the service?

Contractors must complete the claim form for the service at the end of each month and submit this to the Pricing Authority with their script bundle submission (see psnc.org.uk/flu for a link to the form).

The full list of FAQs can be found at psnc.org.uk/flufaqs

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Factsheet: Eligible groups for the flu vaccination The national flu vaccination service covers those patients most at risk from influenza aged 18 years and older, as listed below. This list is taken from PSNC Briefing 053/15: Guidance on the Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Advanced Service, which includes comprehensive guidance on preparing to start the service. Download the full briefing from psnc.org.uk/flubriefing Eligible Groups

Further details

All people aged 65 years or over

Including those becoming age 65 years by 31 March 2016.

All pregnant women (including those women who become pregnant during the flu season)

Pregnant women at any stage of pregnancy (first, second or third trimesters).

People living in long-stay residential care homes or other long-stay care facilities

Vaccination is recommended for people living in long-stay residential care homes or other longstay care facilities where rapid spread is likely to follow introduction of infection and cause high morbidity and mortality. This does not include, for instance, prisons, young offender institutions, or university halls of residence.

People who are in receipt of a carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an older or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if the carer falls ill. Note that care workers who are paid to provide care to people (for example in their own homes or in care homes) are not eligible for vaccination under the NHS Flu Vaccination Service – this would be an occupational health responsibility which should be funded by the person’s employer.

People who are household contacts, of immunocompromised individuals, specifically individuals who expect to share living accommodation on most days over the winter and, therefore, for whom continuing close contact is unavoidable.

Carers

Household contacts of immunocompromised individuals

People aged from 18 years to less than 65 years of age with one or more serious medical condition(s) outlined below: Chronic (long term) respiratory disease, such as severe asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or bronchitis

Asthma that requires continuous or repeated use of inhaled or systemic steroids or with previous exacerbations requiring hospital admission.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) including chronic bronchitis and emphysema; bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis, interstitial lung fibrosis, pneumoconiosis and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD).

Chronic heart disease, such as heart failure

Congenital heart disease, hypertension with cardiac complications, chronic heart failure, individuals requiring regular medication and/or follow-up for ischaemic heart disease.

Chronic kidney disease at stage three, four or five

Chronic kidney disease at stage 3, 4 or 5, chronic kidney failure, nephrotic syndrome, kidney transplantation.

Chronic liver disease

Cirrhosis, biliary atresia, chronic hepatitis.

Chronic neurological disease, such as Parkinson’s disease or motor neurone disease, or learning disability

Stroke, transient ischaemic attack (TIA). Conditions in which respiratory function may be compromised due to neurological disease (e.g. polio syndrome sufferers).

Clinicians should offer immunisation, based on individual assessment, to clinically vulnerable individuals including those with cerebral palsy, learning disability, multiple sclerosis and related or similar conditions; or hereditary and degenerative disease of the nervous system or muscles; or severe neurological disability.

Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes requiring insulin or oral hypoglycaemic drugs, diet controlled diabetes.

A weakened immune system due to disease (such as HIV/AIDS) or treatment (such as cancer treatment)

Immunosuppression due to disease or treatment, including patients undergoing chemotherapy leading to immunosuppression, bone marrow transplant, HIV infection at all stages, multiple myeloma or genetic disorders affecting the immune system (e.g. IRAK-4, NEMO, complement deficiency).

Individuals treated with or likely to be treated with systemic steroids for more than a month at a dose equivalent to prednisolone at 20mg or more per day (any age).

It is difficult to define at what level of immunosuppression a patient could be considered to be at a greater risk of the serious consequences of influenza and should be offered seasonal influenza vaccination. This decision is best made on an individual basis and left to the patient’s clinician.

Some immune-compromised patients may have a suboptimal immunological response to the vaccine.

Splenic dysfunction

This also includes conditions such as homozygous sickle cell disease and coeliac syndrome that may lead to splenic dysfunction.

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Check34 provides even more...

Check34, the online service that enables contractors to view 12 key indicators showing the performance of their NHS dispensing business, has been upgraded to allow even better performance tracking.

Check34 got its first upgrade at the beginning of October and now provides contractors with even more information on their NHS dispensing performance.

A new key performance indicator (KPI) showing how the ‘EPS vs. Paper’ dispensing split is changing over time has been added.

More information on the key performance indicators and how they impact on monthly reimbursement is included. Other changes improve the way dispensing trend data is presented and make the dashboard more user friendly.

Nearly 3,000 pharmacies can now sign in to Check34 and see their dispensing data. The upgrade follows suggestions from users for improvements. Other changes include: • The information boxes on script switches, MURs and NMS at the top of the dashboard have been clarified to include monthly and annual figures and fees.

• Trend lines have been added for national, local and other comparators, and the period can be adjusted for 12, 9, 6 or 3 months. Additionally, 13 months data now appears, allowing year-on-year comparisons to be easily made.

• A list of Expensive Items (over £300) can be called up by scrolling over the bar chart on the Expensive Items KPI.

Clicking on the information icon next to the KPI description gives detailed information on what it measures and how it can impact on reimbursement.

Pull up a list of the Expensive Items you have dispensed at the click of a mouse.

How to get a Check34 account • All NPA members in England have Check34 as part of their NPA subscription package for at least 12 months. Go to the NPA website at npa.co.uk/check34 for more information and to apply for a Check34 account.

• The NPA is also looking after subscription sales for Check34 to non-NPA member pharmacies.

Contact check34@npa.co.uk or call Katie Smith on 01727 858687 for subscription rates and more information.

• CCA members who wish to find out more about Check34 can email check34admin@psnc.org.uk or contact the PSNC office on 0203 1220 820.

NHS England notice: raising awareness of patient choice Patients have the right to choose freely which pharmacy dispenses their prescriptions. NHS England has written to all general practices and pharmacies to ask for their help in ensuring that all patients are aware of this right and can exercise it without influence from their general practice or from a pharmacy.

NHS England is concerned that, in a small number of cases, general practices or pharmacies are seeking to influence inappropriately which pharmacy dispenses a patient’s medicines, or which pharmacy a patient nominates to receive their prescriptions electronically. They have been working in collaboration with both GP and pharmacy representative bodies, as well as NHS Protect, to look at ways to ensure patient’s rights are not undermined.

NHS England states that we all have a duty to ensure patients’ rights under the NHS Constitution are met and NHS England take very seriously any attempt to undermine this. Action will be taken against individuals and contractors to protect patients’ rights.

In order to ensure patients are fully informed of their choice NHS England is asking all general practices and pharmacies to display the poster on pages 6 and 7 prominently, as close as practicable to the location where patients receive prescriptions. Pharmacy contractors can obtain additional copies of the poster from PSNC

by contacting shantel.christian@psnc.org.uk.

Distance selling and internet pharmacies should display this Your prescripti on: your choice information prominently on their websites and take reasonable steps to bring it to the attention of all patients, for example, by including a copy of this poster with dispensed medicines that are delivered to patients.

You have the right to collect medi been prescribe cines that have d for you from any pharmacy choose. you Your choice shou ld not be influence you receive in d by letters the post, or by any doctor or pharmacist. % + (', , ' % ' " +(& (' "' %- ' 0(-* "+ ,*0"' ,( "+"(' (' .!" ! )! .(-% %"$ ,( -+ *& 0 0((-

If you are aware of a situation where the right of patients to choose where their prescriptions are dispensed is being influenced NHS England would encourage you to take this up, in the first instance, with your Local Medical Committee and Local Pharmaceutical Committee (LPC). If the situation cannot be resolved it should be escalated to NHS England via the local office or via england.primarycareops@nhs.net (including ‘Prescription Direction’ in the subject heading). ' (',

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You can download the letter and poster from NHS England from psnc.org.uk psnc.org.uk 5

Your prescription: your choice

Call: 0300 31122 33 Email: england.contactus@nhs.net (with ‘your prescription: your choice’ in the subject line) Post: NHS England, PO Box 16738, Redditch, B97 9PT

You can contact NHS England in the following ways:

Please contact NHS England if someone is trying to influence your decision on which pharmacy you would like to use.

Your choice should not be influenced by letters you receive in the post, or by any doctor or pharmacist.

You have the right to collect medicines that have been prescribed for you from any pharmacy you choose.

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Showcasing pharmacy services In this section of Community Pharmacy News we showcase some of the work pharmacy teams, LPCs and PSNC have been doing on services.

Prime Minister’s Challenge Fund updates Devon pharmacy teams help more than 8,000 patients The evaluation of a ‘Pharmacy First’ scheme in Devon (which included a minor ailments service delivered via a PGD, a winter ailments service and an emergency supply service) has found that more than 8,000 patients were helped during its first five months.

The scheme, funded by the Prime Minister’s Challenge Fund, aimed to make accessing prescription medicines more convenient for patients and reduce pressure on out of hours services.

Read the Pharmacy First evaluation in full at: psnc.org.uk/pharmacyfirst

Interventions made during Pharmacy First Service

Minor Ailments via PGD 30%

Prime Minister’s Challenge Fund has now been successful, allowing roll out of the scheme across the city from October 2015.

Winter Ailments 40%

The pilot was commissioned by Sheffield Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and included four pilot sites, with a further three sites being identified to carry out associated work.

Emergency Supply 30%

Sheffield’s joint working pilot A number of pharmacy contractors and GP surgeries in Sheffield previously took part in a pilot designed to promote and develop joint working, with the aim of enhancing patient care. A bid for funding under the

Sheffield CCG’s evaluation of the service shows that positive outcomes have been achieved with the pharmacists practising their unique skill set and taking on tasks that GPs had been performing. Safer use of medicines was also reported both in prescribing and patient use.

Working with local commissioners PSNC has been developing some prospectuses to help introduce pharmacy services to commissioners: each one highlights a healthcare challenge and explains how community pharmacy can provide a solution.

These can be found, along with further resources and support, on our Think Pharmacy webpage: psnc.org.uk/thinkpharmacy They also appear in our ‘Commissioners Portal’ which was launched earlier this year as a way to direct commissioners to

useful information and resources about pharmacy services.

Additionally, our new ‘Pharmacy Commissioning’ email newsletter highlights news and resources that may be of particular interest to people working in local commissioning organisations.

LPCs may like to direct local commissioners to the Commissioners Portal (psnc.org.uk/commissioners); and ask them to sign up for the Pharmacy Commissioning emails using the form on the main page.

Award-winning pharmacy teams Rotherham Retailer Awards The team at Abbey Pharmacy has found a lovely way to get local press coverage for pharmacy – win the Customer Service Award at the 2015 Rotherham Retail Awards! The team demonstrated their superb assistance to patients and excellent product knowledge during a mystery shopper test.

Community Pharmacy Humber Awards PSNC Chief Executive Sue Sharpe joined over 100 guests for the Community Pharmacy Humber Awards Dinner last month where Newland Community Pharmacy, known for their work on initiatives such as the Carer-Friendly Pharmacy pilot, received the Pharmacy Team of the Year Award.

LPCs can find the latest events and communications in the LPC resources centre at psnc.org.uk

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New Health matters resource Public Health England (PHE) has launched a new resource, ‘Health matters’, which is designed to support commissioning and the delivering of services across local areas.

Health matters: smoking and quitting in England (dld.bz/dUBej) is the first in a series of these resources to be published with further editions planned to cover PHE's seven priority areas: tobacco, obesity, alcohol, antimicrobial resistance, tuberculosis, early years and dementia, as well as other areas of PHE's mandated functions.

LPCs may find the statistics and links to other resources it provides useful as supporting evidence when building business cases for locally commissioned services.

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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 Latest NHS technology developments NHS England has revealed that more than 3.7m repeat prescriptions were ordered online and over 3m people registered for record access in the first quarter of 2015/16.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said that by 2016 he wants all patients to be able to access their own GP electronic record online in full, seeing not just a summary of their allergies and medication but blood test results, appointment records and medical histories.

GPs will be provided with instant electronic discharge summaries from hospitals for all acute and day care patients from October 2015. NHS England has said that this will ensure information is immediately available at the time of patient handover.

5m at high risk of diabetes Five million people in England have blood sugar levels indicating a high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, according to a new report (dld.bz/dUAV2) published by Public Health England (PHE).

An evidence review (dld.bz/dUAV5) also published by PHE shows programmes similar to the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme can be successful in preventing 26% of people at high risk of Type 2 diabetes from going on to develop the condition. People supported by diabetes prevention programmes lose on average 1.57kg more weight than those not on such a programme.

Transforming urgent and emergency care services NHS England has published Transforming urgent and emergency care services in England – Safer, faster, better: good practice in delivering urgent and emergency care (dld.bz/dUAV7) in which they state community pharmacies can make valuable contributions to local health communities’ urgent care programmes. The report cites a number of examples of community pharmacy services that can reduce pressure on GPs and enhance patient safety, including medicines reviews, repeat prescription management and providing urgent access to medicines.

Call for whooping cough immunisation of pregnant women PHE is calling for pregnant women to have the whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine in order to protect themselves and their babies from this serious disease as new data (dld.bz/dUAVA) shows that in 2014/2015 whooping cough vaccine coverage in pregnant women averaged 56.4% in England.

Recently published data (dld.bz/dUAVB) shows that reported whooping cough cases are still at raised levels in England, meaning that babies born to unvaccinated mothers remain vulnerable to the disease in their first few weeks of life.

More than 3m people have access to their GP records online People supported by diabetes prevention programmes lose on average 1.57kg more weight than those not

Only 56.4% of pregnant women were vaccinated against whooping cough in 2014/15

PSNC pushes plan for future pharmacy services PSNC has continued to promote its Pharmacy 5 Point Forward Plan, which sets out five national community pharmacy services which the NHS could commission now to ease pressure on urgent care services, this month.

need for the NHS to make better use of community pharmacy, highlighting the services within the 5 Point Forward Plan.

Working with partner organisations PSNC hosted a fringe event at the Labour Party Conference which was attended by Parliamentarians, commissioners and charities. The event was chaired by Sir Kevin Barron MP, chair of the All-Party Pharmacy Group, and PSNC set out the

As CPN went to press PSNC was preparing to host a similar event at the Conservative Party Conference to be hosted by Ben Gummer MP, the Parliamentary UnderSecretary of State for Care Quality.

Sir Kevin was supportive of the roles that pharmacy can play, calling in particular for a national minor ailments service, and delegates discussed the need to include pharmacy in local winter services planning and for Health and Wellbeing Boards to have pharmacy representation.

Also this month PSNC will be highlighting

its plans for community pharmacy in a response to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and National Association of Primary Care (NAPC) consultation on improving integration of pharmacies and GP practice. Although PSNC agrees with many of the suggestions and principles, it disagrees strongly with one of the key principles in the consultation, warning that proposals which could see an end to the national contractual arrangements for community pharmacies could put the network and the vital service it gives to patients every day at risk.

You can read more about the party conference events as well as PSNC’s full response to the RPS/NAPC consultation at psnc.org.uk psnc.org.uk 9

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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.

Reminder: free EPS masterclasses

System-specific training is being made available to all those working in community pharmacy.

This training will be relevant for counter staff as well as dispensing technicians, pharmacists and locums.

Over 800 training events will be held throughout England with at least one event per PMR system in each LPC area during the next year.

The events are being organised by the EPS Team at the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), in conjunction with LPCs, dispensing system suppliers and the Pricing Authority.

PSNC encourages pharmacy teams to attend at least one event to ensure they can get the most out of EPS, understand their PMR capability , and are prepared for the future. See psnc.org.uk/epstraining

Pfizer and Hospira merger

Pfizer has confirmed that as of 3rd September 2015, Pfizer and Hospira are now operating as a single organisation.

Further information can be found in Pfizer's letter which is available from dld.bz/dSYn2

Self Care Week returns

The annual awareness campaign Self Care Week will run from 16th to 22nd November, and pharmacy teams are being encouraged to get involved.

Consultation Skills newsletter

The Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) has published a Consultation Skills for Pharmacy Practice (CSfPP) newsletter, to update readers on the latest CSfPP developments.

The first issue includes information on what's new, what's on the horizon, and top messages to share with colleagues. Find out how to get your copy at: dld.bz/dT4ZJ

Self Care Week, which is run by the Self Care Forum, aims to help people understand what they can do to look after their own health and that of their family, as well as living as healthily as possible.

The campaign also reminds people to ensure they have a stock of medicines at home and that they can get advice on symptoms from their pharmacist.

Further information and resources can be found at: dld.bz/dTe8B

Age restrictions for nicotine inhaling products

From 1st October 2015, it will be a criminal offence to sell nicotine inhaling products to anyone under the age of 18 years. The Nicotine Inhaling Products (Age of Sale and Proxy Puchasing) Regulations 2015 generally cover e-cigarettes, certain components parts and eliquids that contain nicotine.

The Department of Health, in conjunction with the MHRA and the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, has produced guidance on this subject which is available, along with further information, from dld.bz/dT5bj

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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Distributed for PSNC by:

Communications International Group Linen Hall, 162-168 Regent Street, London W1B 5TB Tel: 020 7434 1530 Fax: 020 7437 0915

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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 should I endorse a prescription for generic insulin?

Because insulins are not listed in Part VIIIA of the Drug Tariff, endorsement of the brand name/supplier, pack size dispensed and the net price before discount and excluding VAT should also be required. This is to ensure correct reimbursement at the manufacturer’s list price. If you do not endorse the product dispensed, and there are multiple products which meet the generic description, the prescription will be returned for clarification, thus delaying reimbursement.

For further information on endorsement, please visit psnc.org.uk/endorsementguidance 2. I have dispensed the final batch from a patient’s repeat prescription. How do I

submit the repeat authorisation form to the Pricing Authority?

Repeat authorisation (RA) forms should be submitted to the Pricing Authority at the end of the month in which all batch issue forms have either been dispensed or expired or the medication is no longer required.

It is important that forms are sorted for submission in the correct order as detailed on the reverse of Form FP34C. In months where RA forms are being submitted, tick the appropriate box on the FP34C submission document to indicate this.

There is no need to declare the number of RA forms submitted.

3. How do the payments for repeat dispensing work?

In addition to the fees and allowances paid

High Court judgement on Lyrica – update Pharmacy teams may be aware of the recent High Court judgement regarding Pfizer’s patent claim for Lyrica. The judgment, which may be subject to appeal, has not affected the situation for pharmacists and GPs. At the time of going to press, NHS England has yet to consider whether to change its guidance which requires pharmacists to refer generic prescriptions back to the prescriber, if they are aware it is for neuropathic pain, and prescribers to prescribe the brand for neuropathic pain. Pharmacists should therefore follow the guidance until further notice.

PSNC will stress to NHS England and the Department of Health the importance of providing timely, clear and unequivocal guidance to pharmacists and GPs as and when the situation changes. Please refer to the PSNC website for the latest developments.

for dispensing all prescriptions, pharmacies receive a repeat dispensing annual payment of £1,500 (£125 per month).

This payment is made to pharmacy contractors automatically by the Pricing Authority every month, whether they have supplied repeat dispensing items or not.

Neither the contractor nor the local NHS England team needs to do anything to claim/authorise the payments.

Look out for more frequently asked questions next month.

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).

Sucralfate tablets and suspension removed from Drug Tariff With effect from 1st October 2015, Antepsin 1g/5ml oral suspension and Antepsin 1g tablets have been removed from Part VIIIA of the Drug Tariff.

If a prescription is received for either product, the prescriber will need to be contacted to be made aware that the licensed branded products are not available and, where appropriate, asked to issue a generic prescription for the unlicensed Sucralfate.

To ensure correct reimbursement, the generic paper prescriptions will need to specify “unlicensed special”. paper prescriptions of unlicensed specials also need to be placed into the red separator. For EPS prescriptions the GP will need to select "Sucralfate.. (Special Order).

For further guidance on endorsing prescriptions for unlicensed medicines, please visit psnc.org.uk/specials

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

Pharmacy teams can check whether medicinal products and medical devices are allowed using the Drug Tariff, or the PSNC’s ‘Dispensing on an FP10 database’ (psnc.org.uk/FP10database).

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Drug Tariff Watch Below is a quick summary of some changes due to take place from 1st November 2015 Part VIIIA additions SC Special Container • Budesonide 9mg modified-release tablets (30) Category C - Cortiment • Etonogestrel 68mg implant SC (1) Category C - Nexplanon • Levocarnitine 1.5mg/5ml oral solution paediatric SC (20ml) Category A • Neomycin 500mg tablets (100) Category C - AMCo • Raltegravir 100mg granules sachets (60) Category C - Isentress • Tretinoin 10mg capsules (100) Category C - Intrapharm Laboratories Ltd Part VIIIA amendments • Aminophylline 250mg/10ml solution for injection ampoules (10) is changing to Category C Hameln Pharmaceuticals Ltd

• Amlodipine 10mg/5ml oral solution sugar free (150ml) is changing to Category A • Amlodipine 5mg/5ml oral solution sugar free (150ml) is changing to Category A • Ascorbic acid powder (100g) is changing to Category C - J M Loveridge Ltd • Ketoprofen 50mg capsules (112) is changing to Category C - Tiloket • Lidocaine 200mg/20ml (1%) solution for injection ampoules (10) is changing to Category C - Hameln Pharmaceuticals Ltd Part VIIIA deletions If a medicinal product has been removed from Part VIIIA and has no other pack

sizes listed, it can continue to be dispensed, but it will need to be endorsed fully (i.e. brand or supplier name from whom the product was purchased and the pack size from which the item was dispensed and price paid) in future.

• Calcium acetate 667mg capsules (200) Category C - PhosLo • Carbamazepine 100mg chewable tablets sugar free (56) Category C Tegretol Chewtabs • Clomipramine 75mg modified-release tablets (28) Category C - Anafranil SR • Crotamiton 10% lotion (100ml) Category C - Eurax • Salbutamol 4mg modified-release capsules (56) Category C - Ventmax SR • Salbutamol 8mg modified-release capsules (56) Category C - Ventmax SR

Part IX Deletions It is important to take careful note of removals from Part IX because if you dispense a deleted product, prescriptions will be returned as disallowed and therefore payment will not be made for dispensing the item.

Brand MacGregor Healthcare Ltd DressPore

Dressfilm Tegaderm Matrix Rohto Dry Eye Relief Prim-Ai Prim-Air Strip

Prima-Resist Air II Peak Medical Ltd

B. Braun Medical

Product description Qufora Onestep Intermittent Catheter pack of 30, Male, 6-18 Qufora Onestep Intermittent Catheter pack of 30, Female, 6-16 7cm x 8cm (wound contact pad 4cm x 5cm + border 1.5cm) 10cm x 11cm (wound contact pad 6cm x 6cm + border 2.0cm - 2.5cm) 11cm x 15cm (wound contact pad 6cm x 10cm + border 2.5cm) 6cm x 7cm 12cm x 12cm 8cm x 10cm 10ml bottle 20 x 0.5ml single dose unit Kas II (Tinted, for night time use), pack of 50 Fine Oval (Flesh tone, for sensitive skin), pack of 50 Fine Round (Flesh tone, for sensitive skin), pack of 50 Firm Round (Transparent with strong adhesive), pack of 50 HME for Prima-Resist/Low-Resist hands-free valves, pack of 50 Combimate Adjustable Elastic Ostomy Belt 50mm wide Uromate 1 piece urostomy pouch, semi-transparent, beige non-woven backing and needlepin overlap, non-return valve, soft bottom outlet tap, Medium, pre-cut 16mm Uromate 1 piece urostomy pouch, semi-transparent, beige non-woven backing and needlepin overlap, non-return valve, soft bottom outlet tap, Medium, 19mm – 32mm Elite bag with skin protector adhesive and fabric backing, Beige, starter hole Elite bag with skin protector adhesive and fabric backing, Beige, 20mm – 30mm Elite bag with skin protector adhesive and fabric backing, White, 20mm Elite Petite bag with skin protector adhesive and fabric backing, Beige, 30mm Elite Petite bag with skin protector adhesive and fabric backing, Beige, 35mm Preference Bag skin protector, microporous adhesive & fabric backing, Beige, 25mm

Product code 351406-351418 351206-351216 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 71-0952-24 H 71-0970-00 O 71-0970-00 R 71-0974-00 R 71-0952-212H SB50 1 UMT116B 20 UMT119B 20, UMT122B 20, UMT125B 20, UMT128B 20, UMT132B 20 38-810 30 38-820 30, 38-825 30, 38-830 30 34-820 30 37-730 30 37-735 30 34-625 30

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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