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The regulators have reduced the notice periods for change to supplementary opening hours for community pharmacy contractors from 1 October 2022. Following the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC)'s discussions with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England as part of Year 4 negotiations, it has been agreed that the required notice periods for changes to supplementary opening hours will reduce to five weeks. Community pharmacy contractors who want to change their supplementary opening hours are required by their terms of service to notify NHS England. "If a contractor wants to increase supplementary opening hours at the pharmacy, this can be done with no notice - but notification of the change must still be given to NHS England," said PSNC. "To decrease supplementary opening hours at the pharmacy, at least five weeks' notice must be given to NHS England prior to implementing the change."

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has published plans to amend current pharmacy legislation on dispensing errors and clarify how registered pharmacies are governed. The Department's response to a public consultation on rebalancing medicines legislation and pharmacy regulation programme first proposed in summer 2018 was delayed due to Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic. The programme aims to clarify and strengthen the organisational governance arrangements of registered pharmacies, specifically to define and clarify the core purpose of the Responsible Pharmacist and Superintendent Pharmacist roles. It will also give the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) powers to define in professional standards how those roles are fulfilled.

The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee announced last week that it is in discussions with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England about relieving capacity pressures, such as a relaxation of pharmacy opening hours requirements. PSNC is also scheduling webinars to talk with contactors about the steps they might be willing to take in future, to cut costs, should emergency financial relief fail to materialise. The pharmacy regulator reported that many of its members felt that it was no longer tenable for pharmacies to keep offering all of the free and non-core services to patients that they would like to, and that all contractors should consider what steps they could take to try to safeguard their businesses and their core services for patients. PSNC is also keen to talk to contractors about their current situation and the steps they might be willing to take in future, should emergency relief not be forthcoming.

The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has been reminding contractors to complete the 2022/23 Community Pharmacy Assurance Framework (CPAF) screening questionnaire by midnight on Wednesday, 31 August 2022. As a result of NHS regulations introduced at the end of 2020, completion of CPAF is now a requirement of the Terms of Service. "Therefore, contractors must complete the screening questionnaire and, if required, the full CPAF questionnaire," said PSNC. It has also recommended that any contractor who has yet to do so takes immediate action. "It should only take approximately 10-20 minutes to complete." Information and instructions on how to complete the screening questionnaire has been shared either via an email from the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) or from their own Head Office. Contractors are advised to contact NHSBSA by emailing nhsbsa.cpaf@nhs.net if they have not received details of the questionnaire, or if they have any problems or queries completing the questionnaire.

Leaders from across the pharmacy sector and trade bodies dwelled on the challenges faced by the pharmacists at the Sigma Conference held on Sunday (2 October). "If the cost of carrying out regulation is higher than the benefits, it's time for all the bodies to sit together and talk on what can be adjusted accordingly," said Salim Jetha, Chairman, Avicenna. Jetha highlighted the challenges faced by the independent pharmacy and also raised the concern about the 'level playing field' for pharmacists compared to GPs. He said: "GPs get paid for energy cost, premises cost, the staffing cost. We don't get paid for that. So don't be misled by saying we are being exactly the same. Yes, on paper we are, but in reality we are not. I think also the rules of engagement are different." He called for better collaboration with GPs, and urged PSNC and other trade bodies to ensure a level playing field. Janet Morrison, CEO, Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee(PSNC), warned that the pressure in the sector is building up to a 'breaking point'.

The Department of Health and Social Care has updated the list of community pharmacies eligible for the Pharmacy Access Scheme (PhAS) and approved 43 cases out of 63 applications, bringing the the total number of eligible pharmacies in England to 1,445. Earlier this year, NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE&I) invited community pharmacy contractors to apply for a review if they believed there were any inaccuracies in relation to pharmacy premises addresses or unforeseen circumstances affecting access, such as a permanent roadblock. Submitted applications were reviewed by the relevant NHSE&I regional pharmacy contract team, and determined by the relevant pharmaceutical services regulations committees (PSRC). Due to the workload pressures seen over winter, the review deadline was extended, giving contractors applying for a review two full months to complete their applications. This also pushed back the announcement of the outcome of the review, but where an application has been successful, PhAS payments will be backdated to the start of the scheme.

Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has expressed its support for alterations in the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 to enable original pack dispensing (OPD) and supply of medicines containing sodium valproate by pharmacists. PSNC's support for changes was in response to the consultation on OPD, initiated by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). The consultation had proposed regulatory changes to allow pharmacists to dispense (up to 10 per cent) more or less than the prescribed quantity of a given medicine in the manufacturer's original packs. Key aims of the proposal are to "support increased patient safety by ensuring patients receive the necessary information that is included in the original manufacturer's packaging about the safe and effective use of a product," DHSC said.