Important Updates for Contractors -

Action – Please complete these short surveys by the 5th August 2020

Face Masks

2020/21 Flu Season

GMLPC COVID-19 Resources

GMLPC has set up a page which  provides links to national resources, information regarding risk assessments, infection control, antibody testing, test and trace programme, links to locality updates for services, the new process for gaining consent for telephone MURs and many other important resources.

For all these important updates relating to the COVID-19 pandemic view the page here.

 

Updated Guidance on the Use of Face Masks 

Public Health England (PHE) has updated its guidance on the wearing of facemasks in primary and community health care settings. In summary, the recommendation is that ALL pharmacy staff now wear facemasks, unless the pharmacy is COVID-19 secure, including all staff being able to maintain a social distance from one another.

The recommendation is for a Type l or Type ll face mask to be worn to prevent the spread of infection from the wearer. If Type IIR face masks are more readily available, and there are no supply issues for their use as personal protective equipment, then these can be used as an alternative to Type I or Type II masks.

For more information read the updated PHE guidance

 

GM Healthcare Academy - Flu Vaccination Training -  Sunday 16th August 2020

Stockport Council Volunteer (CV) Helpline UPDATE

Friday 31^st July 2020 will be the final day that Stockport CCG will be supporting the Stockport Council Volunteer (CV) Helpline.
 
This is in line with the Government plan to lift restrictions for the Shielded from 1^st August 2020.
 
The CV Helpline take calls from Stockport residents who are shielding and or affected by Covid -19 in some way. The council staff provide help and advice to callers for numerous things including making referrals to our Pharmacy coordination team for help with organising collection and delivery or medicines.
 
Though the Helpline will continue to function and signpost residents regarding any help and support they may require, we will no longer be providing the CV helpline with support regarding arranging collection and delivery of medicines.
 
All Community Pharmacies are to use the GoodSam App if they need to request help by way of a volunteer for any of their patients resident in Stockport and are not to direct them to the CV Helpline.
 
In addition the patients themselves will still be able to seek help with their medicines via the Government’s National Volunteer scheme by calling 0808 196 3646 any day between the hours of 8am and 8pm. A volunteer selected by a patient is acting as the patient’s representative and can therefore collect and deliver any medicines whether or not they are controlled drugs.
 

Wigan - COVID 19 Urgent Eyecare Service (CUES)

The Primary Eyecare Services Team have announced that the COVID 19 Urgent Eyecare Service (CUES) is now live in Wigan.

The Service will provide initial contact, telephone triage, remote consultations and where necessary face to face assessments and management of recent onset symptomatic or urgent ocular presentations. 

If you have any queries about the service or would like any additional information, please email  UEC@primaryeyecare.co.uk

For more information please view the full letter here.

A service summary, list of Practices signed up to deliver the service, and information posters for display have also been published. These can found via the links below:

• Service Summary
• List of Practices
• Poster 1
• Poster 2
• Poster 3
• Poster 4

TCAM Update for Greater Manchester

Share your experiences and feedback 

Health innovation Manchester are looking for positive success stories, experiences and feedback on the TCAM service. Please email communications@healthinnovationmanchester.com or
 tcam.support@healthinnovationmanchester.com” with your information. 

Survey: PPE Requirements in Community Pharmacy  

The LPCs across Greater Manchester and Lancashire understand the challenges many of you have faced with regard to the purchase of PPE and other equipment over recent months. 

In collaboration with the Community Pharmacy Provider Companies we have been looking at how we could potentially offer support as we approach the busy flu and winter season and would appreciate a few minutes of your time to complete this short survey to explore if we could potentially support PPE supply for contractors in Greater Manchester.

If you are a member of a pharmacy group please check with your area manager before completing. 
 

National COVID-19 Testing for Community Pharmacy Key Worker 

GM Healthcare Academy – Job Opportunities

Click here to apply

FAQ: Funding for Cross-sector Pre-registration Trainee Pharmacy Technician Integrated Training Programme - Closing Date 31/07/20 

Following Health Education England’s (HEE) recent publication of Expression of Interest documents and a related Q&A webinar that took place last week, Frequently Asked Questions have now been collated and published to provide answers to common questions raised before and during the webinar. 

Click here to view and download the FAQs 
 

HEE and NHSE&I Important update: Pharmacist Education and Training Reform 

Health Education England and NHS England and NHS Improvement have published an update on Pharmacist Education and Training Reform. 

Health Education England, in partnership with key stakeholders, is establishing an Interim Foundation Pharmacist Programme to help provisionally registered pharmacists transition to full GPhC registration and beyond. The first phase of the reform and the purpose of the interim foundation programme is to provide provisionally registered pharmacists with the foundation training support they need. 

Please read the full letter for more information  
 

NHS Flu Vac Programme Targets 30 Million People

As indicated in the Annual flu letter published earlier this year, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has confirmed expansions to the eligible groups for the national flu immunisation progamme for 2020/21. 

In a move that will now mean that more than 30 million people will be included in the eligibility criteria, DHSC has announced the following new additional eligible groups: 

• People aged 50 to 64; 

• Household contacts of those who are on the shielded patient list; and 

• An expansion of the schools' programme to include the first year of secondary school (year 7). 

The first two listed groups will be able to access vaccination from community pharmacies under the NHS flu vaccination service, however the offer of vaccination to the 50-64 years group will not commence until later in the season. 

The announcement states that once vaccination of the most 'at-risk' groups is well underway, the Department will work with clinicians to decide when to open the programme to invite the new group for vaccination. The NHS will contact people directly to make them aware of their eligibility and will include information about where to go to get the vaccine. 

Read more about the DHSC announcement here