The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has published an update on the work it is doing as part of the Transforming Pharmacy Representation
(TAPR) Programme to take forward the mandate from contractors to deliver the Review Steering Group (RSG) recommendations.
The update is primarily aimed at LPCs - with whom PSNC has been working closely on some of the TAPR work over the summer.
The TAPR Programme is being undertaken in support of PSNC's work to address the severe challenges facing the community pharmacy sector at present.
Alongside ongoing negotiations with Government and the NHS, two of the TAPR workstreams - focusing on Vision and Strategy, and on Influencing and Negotiation - are
essential to supporting CPCF negotiations.
"The workstreams are looking at the future of community pharmacy and how best to persuade policymakers to implement a shared vision, with their objective being to put
the sector in a stronger position going into future CPCF negotiations," said PSNC.
EMIS Pinnacle, the leading Pharmacy First IT supplier, has begun implementing the GP Connect Update Record feature to all community pharmacies in England that
use PharmOutcomes.
Starting June 28, this new feature was made available for use with the Hypertension case-finding service and the Pharmacy contraception service, as announced by
the Community Pharmacy England (CPE).
The GP Connect Update Record will enable community pharmacies to securely share "structured" information with GP practices regarding consultations conducted under
the Pharmacy First programme, which includes minor illness and clinical pathways, along with Hypertension Case Finding and Pharmacy Contraception services
Live testing is underway with EMIS Pinnacle for Pharmacy First minor illness and clinical pathways.
There are plans to expand the system in the future to include updates for urgent supply of medicines under the Pharmacy First service.
EMIS Pinnacle is the third CPCF IT system supplier to offer this functionality, following Cegedim's Pharmacy Services system and Positive Solutions' HXConsult
system.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has updated the Professional Standards for Homecare Services to ensure high quality care for patients receiving
medicines and associated services in the comfort of their own homes.
Originally published in 2013, these standards provide a comprehensive framework to support teams involved in planning, commissioning, and delivering homecare
services.
The RPS said that these standards were updated to ensure that they align with the needs and expectations of recipients of homecare services, as well as
commissioners and providers.
Changes were made based on responses received through a consultation process, which was participated by representatives from the National Homecare Medicines
Committee, the Association of Pharmacy Technicians, the Pharmacy Forum of Northern Ireland, and the Royal College of Nursing.
And keep an eye on cardiology coding guidelines, as well, to ensure your claims on track.
The 2017 CPT® code set introduced plenty of changes for cardiology. Let's take a quick tour of updates to your most relied on codes.
Don't overlook this moderate sedation update
The need to report moderate sedation separately impacts numerous cardiology services - pacemaker and implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) insertion and removal and vascular services, to name a few. This adjustment is a challenge for many cardiology coders.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved a second "bivalent" vaccine as a Covid-19 booster.
The updated booster vaccine made by Pfizer/BioNTech, targeting two coronavirus variants, has been approved for use in individuals aged 12 years and above.
In each dose of the booster vaccine, 'Comirnaty bivalent Original/Omicron', half of the vaccine (15 micrograms) targets the original virus strain and the other
half (15 micrograms) targets Omicron (BA.1).
Dr June Raine, MHRA chief executive said: "I am pleased to announce that we now have a second approved vaccine for the UK Autumn booster programme. The clinical
trial of the Pfizer/BioNTech bivalent vaccine showed a strong immune response against the Omicron BA.1 variant as well as the original strain.
Bivalent vaccines are helping us to meet the challenge of an ever-evolving virus, to help protect people against Covid-19 variants. We have in place a comprehensive
safety surveillance strategy for all UK-approved Covid-19 vaccines, and this will include the updated booster we approved today."
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has updated the final price concessions for June 2023, following a discussion by Community Pharmacy England
regarding medicine pricing issues reported by pharmacy owners (its members).
A price concession only applies for the month it is granted; any prices agreed for concessions requested late in the month will roll over into the following month.
Community Pharmacy England encouraged pharmacies to report any problems obtaining a Part VIII product at or below the stated Drug Tariff price, using the online
feedback form on the Community Pharmacy England website along with full details of the supplier and price paid for any products sourced above the Drug Tariff price.
The association will investigate the extent of the problem and, if appropriate, discuss the issue with DHSC.
Community Pharmacies are set to significantly upgrade their digital security as the mandatory rollout of NHSmail Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) begins
this month (August 1, 2024).
In an announcement by the Community Pharmacy England (CPE), pharmacies are urged to make the updates following a period of optional MFA implementations that began
in late 2023.
According to the new requirements, the mandatory update is crucial for protecting patient privacy and the integrity of their health records.
By adding an extra layer of security beyond the standard email address and password, MFA helps safeguard against unauthorised access.
This is especially vital in light of increasing cyber threats targeting healthcare systems.
Cyberattacks, including ransomware, can compromise patient records and disrupt care delivery, making robust security measures essential.
The introduction of MFA aims to curb these risks.
According to cybersecurity research, MFA can prevent up to 80 per cent data breaches and block over 99.9 per cent of compromised accounts.
Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has notified pharmacy teams that starting 1 August 2024, three Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) medicines will be
discontinued and will no longer be covered under the NHS HRT Prescription Prepayment Certificate (HRT PPC) scheme.
These are Bedol® 2mg tablets, Climanor® 5mg tablets and Clinorette® tablets.
Since Climanor® 5mg tablets have been discontinued, Medroxyprogesterone 5mg tablets will also be removed from the HRT PPC list, as this generic product is no
longer available as a licensed HRT medicine.
The CPE also noted that Provera® 5mg tablets, being an unlicensed HRT medicine, are not covered by the HRT PPC.
Pharmacy staff are advised to check the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) website for the most current list of HRT medicines covered by the HRT PPC.
The CPE has updated its HRT PPC medicines list to reflect these changes, which will also be updated in Part XVI of the August 2024 Drug Tariff.
Consumer goods giant Unilever signalled on Monday (January 17) it would pursue a deal for GlaxoSmithKline's consumer healthcare business, calling it a "strong strategic fit" after its £50 billion offer was refused.
GSK confirmed on Saturday that it had rejected three approaches from the Dove-soap maker, adding it intended to stick to its own plan to spin off the business as a separate company later this year.
"GSK Consumer Healthcare would be a strong strategic fit," Unilever said in a statement as it unveiled a strategy update in the wake of the weekend's takeover news.
Unilever said it was "committed to accelerating the company's growth and repositioning the portfolio into higher growth categories.
"As a result of the reporting of Unilever's interest in GSK Consumer Healthcare, we are today bringing forward a planned update, setting out the strategic direction that the company is pursuing," Unilever said.
After a series of internal pay negotiations and conciliation meetings, Boots has made a revised pay offer to its pharmacists.
With the new development, the Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has urged its members at Boots to "urgently respond to the Boots pay negotiations update survey on the current pay offer."
It encouraged the members to complete the short survey sent to them via email.
Last week, the PDA Reps Network in Boots hosted a series of virtual meetings for members that work at the company.
As the element of the negotiations with Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) are ongoing, PDA could not provide more details about these meetings.
The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has reminded community pharmacies (its members) to update their NHS Profile Manager information.
Ahead of the NHS contract quarter deadline- 30th June 2023, the committee has urged its members to ensure that their pharmacy's NHS website and Directory of
Services (DoS) profile information is kept up-to-date.
The Pharmacy Terms of Service requires pharmacy owners to verify profile information at least once per quarter, however the new NHS Profile Manager has been
introduced to make the process as quick as possible and it can be done on either a smartphone or computer.
PSNC said: "We continue to work with NHS England and the NHS Profile Manager team to make the process as easy as possible and to improve the management tool. Our
feedback has led NHS England to automatically set pharmacy opening hours to 'closed' for many bank holidays (however these can be reset to 'open' if required)."
Teva UK has begun replacing its existing packaging with a new design which is "clearer and easier to read".
The new look is "unique, recognisable and distinctive." It "enhances safety and provides a recognisable and distinguishable pack range."
One of the UK's leading generics manufacturers, Teva UK supplies more than 500 generic pharmaceutical products to retail and hospital pharmacies.
The company says each product within the portfolio is distinguishable by colour, ensuring no two different packs have the same drug and strength colours and with
additional product information on the side of the pack and a simplified back, it makes it even easier to identify the correct product when dispensing and supports
patients when taking their medication.
"Our medicines impact the lives of millions of people every day and our packaging is often the first touchpoint for our patients and our customers", said Kim Innes,
general manager of Teva UK and Ireland.
To help manage the ongoing supply disruptions, the health regulators have extended to 28 October 2022, serious shortage protocols (SSPs) for 12 of the 13
hormone replacement therapies (HRT).
"The only HRT SSP set to expire on 29 July 2022 is for SSP021 Premique low dose 0.3mg/1.5mg modified-release tablets. After 29 July, there will be no need to
restrict quantities of Premique tablets as its supply situation has now stabilised," said PSNC.
In addition, the dose equivalence advice and endorsement guidance for SSP024 and SSP025 have been updated.
SSP024 and SSP025 have been updated by DHSC to provide greater clarity to pharmacists on the dose equivalences to determine the appropriate quantity to supply.
Pharmacists are asked to refer to the latest SSP versions and endorsement guidance published on NHSBSA's website.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has suggested Estradiol patch as an alternative for patients who use 1 pump of Oestrogel daily.
DHSC has updated Annex A of SSP022 and SSP023 for Oestrogel Pump-Pack 0.06 per cent gel to include a dose conversion to a specific alternative Estradiol patch.
Previously, only dose conversions for patients using 2 to 4 pumps daily were included in Annex A of SSP022 and SSP023.
Separately, the supporting guidance for three SSPs which allow quantity restriction have been updated to reflect the requirement to endorse the reduced quantity
supplied in accordance with these SSPs.
SSP019 - Oestrogel pump-pack 0.06% gel
SSP020 - Ovestin 1mg cream
SSP021 - Premique low dose 0.3mg/1.5mg modified release tablets
"When endorsing an SSP for a reduced quantity, contractors must ensure that the correct SSP number is endorsed along with the product name and the reduced
quantity supplied in accordance with the SSP," said PSNC.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), led by Victoria Atkins MP and Maria Caulfield MP, has unveiled proposed updates to the NHS Constitution
for England, aiming to fortify the principles of privacy, dignity, and safety for all patients.
Martha's rule was prompted by a campaign led by the parents of 13-year-old Martha Mills who tragically succumbed to sepsis after staff at King's College Hospital
failed to escalate her care to intensive care, despite her family's pleas regarding her worsening condition in 2021.
Under the new guidance is the introduction of Martha's Rule, empowering patients to request intimate care from someone of the same biological sex ensuring that
the distinct needs of men and women are recognized and addressed.
Patients and their loved ones can exercise the right to "access to a rapid review from outside the care team if the patient is deteriorating."
The consultation on the proposed updates is set to run for eight weeks, inviting feedback from patients, healthcare professionals, and stakeholders for a review
Recognising the changing practices in healthcare, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has revised and updated its position on the separation of
prescribing and dispensing or administration of a medicine by the same healthcare professional.
It's previous guidance, published in March 2020, restricted prescribing and dispensing by the same healthcare professional only in exceptional circumstances.
The new guidance, jointly developed with the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), has made prescribing and dispensing of medicines more flexible.
It clarifies that "where there is a risk assessment in place and in the best interests of the patient, the same healthcare professional can be responsible for
the prescribing and dispensing / supply / administration of medicines."
The change in the position statement follows an extensive year-long engagement exercise with medical associations, members, fellows, expert advisory groups,
patient groups and the RPS Country Boards.
India is witnessing a rise in confirmed Covid-19 cases. Credit: CDC on Unsplash Visit our Covid-19 microsite for the latest coronavirus news, analysis and updates
AMA recently released the new CPT codes for COVID-19 vaccines. Medical billing services can take notes of them to better accommodate the billing requirements.
The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has published a new strategy pledging to deliver equality, improve diversity and foster inclusion in all aspects of its work.
The strategy was updated after a public consultation held between April and July. It's key themes are:
To make regulatory decisions that are demonstrably fair, lawful, and free from discrimination and bias.
To use our standards to proactively help tackle discrimination and to make sure everyone can access person-centred care, fostering equality of health outcomes.To lead by example and demonstrate best practice within our organisation, holding ourselves to the same high standards we expect of others.
GPhC chair Nigel Clarke said having a strategy is vital as the pandemic has exposed "the scope and scale of inequities in society, in healthcare outcomes and in pharmacy."
"Inequality and exclusion are bad for people's health. Therefore, this strategy is fundamental to our core purpose as a regulator and our vision for safe and effective pharmacy care at the heart of healthier communities."
Community pharmacies in England will have to go through a clinical audit focusing on valproate, following an agreement reached between the PSNC and NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE&I).
The audit, a part of NHS contractual requirements, aims to reduce the potential harm caused by taking valproate during pregnancy.
The 2021/22 audit will be based on the Pharmacy Quality Scheme (PQS) audit, allowing contractors to close the cycle by re-auditing their practice.
NHSE&I recently shared the results of the PQS 2019/20 valproate audit.
Around 5.6 per cent of the 12,068 girls or women of childbearing potential who participated in the audit said they were not advised in line with the MHRA Drug Safety
Update 2018 relating to the potential impact on an unborn child.