PSNC Pharmacy Advice Audit: Please submit your data
Community pharmacy teams have until 10th July 2020 to capture information about the advice they give to their patients and local communities.
Action for contractors: Please submit your data to PSNC via PharmOutcomes before 10th July 2020.
Last week pharmacies were encouraged to undertake the PSNC Pharmacy Advice Audit to capture information about the advice they give to their patients and local communities.
The data gathered will help demonstrate the added value pharmacies offer and assist in providing evidence to support the ongoing funding negotiations, including the call for more investment in the sector.
PSNC has had an exceptional response to the audit so far: thank you to the pharmacies who have already taken part. Those pharmacy teams who carried out the audit are requested to submit their data to PSNC via PharmOutcomes ASAP. However, they have also decided to extend the participation deadline to make sure no pharmacy misses out on the chance to submit their data.
Your data will help assess how many of these informal consultations are happening and their positive impact on the patient and wider health care system. PSNC hope to receive data from as many pharmacy teams as possible to build a strong evidence base.
Further information and resources can be found at: psnc.org.uk/adviceaudit
Pharmacy Opening Hours – Update
Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership (GMHSC) has received confirmation that the pandemic and national emergency declaration which was due to end on 30th June 2020 has been extended from 1st July 2020 until 1st September 2020.
However, any applications made to reduce hours, expired on 30th June 2020 and so new applications to temporarily reduce NHS opening hours or to close must be submitted.
A brief outline of options available if you are unable to fulfil your full NHS contracted hours (both core and supplementary) from 1st July 2020 are as follows:
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Provisions within the National Community Pharmacy SOP – Closing the door to patients for up to 2.5 hours per day at the discretion of the Responsible Pharmacist
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Inability to Provide Services Outside of Contractor’s Control – This would mean completing the Notification of unplanned temporary suspension of services” template form, for one-off instance of non-provision of services affected
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Requests for temporary opening hours and closures during an emergency requiring the flexible provision of pharmaceutical services – This option is Schedule 4, Part 3, Paragraph 27, to enable contractors to make a request to temporarily alter NHS contracted hours; or to temporarily close during an emergency.
More information can be found in this letter
Updated guidance for shielded patients
The Department for health and social care have published updated guidance for both NHS professionals and patients in relation to shielding.
They have announced that from 6 July, the clinically extremely vulnerable may, if they wish:
- meet in a group of up to 6 people outdoors, including people from different households, while maintaining strict social distancing.
- no longer observe social distancing with other members of their household.
For more information view the two letters linked above
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