COVID-19: Thank you from Community Pharmacy Lincolnshire
We appreciate the work that you and your teams are doing to support patients at an increasingly challenging time.
The information below will support you and your teams with some key local details and requests as we collectively manage the COVID-19 situation.
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Protecting you and your pharmacy team
Community Pharmacy Lincolnshire have worked with NHS England & NHS Improvement (NHSE&I) and have agreed the following approach to restricting access to community pharmacy premises in order to protect staff:
- All contractors will have Business Continuity plans which should by now have been reviewed and updated in the light of COVID-19.
- Business Continuity plans should be implemented locally as and when the Responsible Pharmacist and/or Superintendent Pharmacist see fit.
- NHSE&I, Community Pharmacy Lincolnshire and contractors are all concerned with the safety of patients and staff. As every pharmacy premises is different, there is no single approach that can be recommended to ensure that pharmaceutical services continue to be made available whilst ensuring the safety of all concerned.
- Whilst the provision of pharmaceutical services is essential for the health and wellbeing of patients and local population, there will inevitably be circumstances in which this may have to be achieved by restricting access into the pharmacy premises to patients and public.
- In extreme circumstances this may mean operating the pharmacy behind a closed door – whilst continuing to provide Essential services, or working on a basis of only allowing a limited number of patients/customers into the premises at a time as examples
Please ensure at all times that you keep NHSE&I and Community Pharmacy Lincolnshire informed of such developments. If you are part of small or large multiple, please refer to your line managemer for advice.
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Temporary Closures and Varying Opening Hours
In the current situation it's possible that you may need to close a pharmacy unexpectedly, or make temporary variations to your opening hours.
All unplanned closures or variations of opening hours must continue to be reported to NHSE&I via england.eastmidspharmacy.@nhs.net
Please also send a copy of your email to the Community Pharmacy Lincolnshire share mailbox via info@pharmacylincolnshire.org
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Period of Treatment
NHSE&I and primary care leaders have provided clear advice to GP practices not to increase the period of treatment on prescriptions, as this will place increased demand on the current supply chain and may result in critical medicines shortages.
Community Pharmacy Lincolnshire have worked with Lincolnshire Local Medical Committee to emphasise this approach.
If you are aware of any GP practice making changes to the period of treatment (for example switching from 28 to 56 day presctiptions) please email the Community Pharmacy Lincolnshire inbox (info@pharmacylincolnshire.org)
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Community Pharmacy Consultation Service (CPCS)
CPCS is continuing during the current time, to support increrased demand on the NHS system.
Minor acuity conditions
We know this may be concerning fo you and your team, but we have had reassurance that anyone calling NHS111 with symptoms that could indicate COVID-19 infection are explicitly told to self-isloate and not to visit the pharmacy. In addition, the algorithm used by NHS111 call handlers has been changed, and so patients are asked explictly twice during the call if they have symptoms.
Please now consider contacting the patient by telephone once you receive an NHS CPCS referral. Through your conversation with the patient it may be appropriate to advise the patient not to come into the pharmacy, and to complete the NHS CPCS referral via telephone. Some patients may need access to over-the-counter
medicines to support self-care for minor illness or to pick up an urgent supply of medicines and so it might be appropriate to discuss how they are delivered or if a friend, relative, carer or community volunteer is able to collect these.
Supply of Urgent Medicines
This is also continuing. However, there ore ongoing discussions for a localised emergency supply scheme, to support cirucsmtances where GP practices are forced to close, to avoid overburdening the NHS111 system. We will keep you updated as things progress.
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Keeping up to date
As the situation regarding COVID-19 is evolving rapidly, we advise you to use the national sources of informtion to keep up to date.
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