Welcome to Community Pharmacy Lincolnshire News

GPCPCS Roll-out Update

A contractor toolkit has been added to the website and circulated via the newsletter. Links available on the website here.

We have seen a rise in enquiries from GP practices recently.  PCNs have just had their incentive scheme announced for 2021-22 and 2022-23. In it are specific targets to engage with community pharmacies and to use the CPCS service, so numbers should rise steeply in the second half of the year.

Enquiries have been responded to with key information from our toolkit, already shared with PCN Clinical Directors and their admin teams and links to the recorded webinars we delivered for GPs, along with the FAQ document.  This has been shared with the CCG who are now taking the lead on roll out in the county and dealing with GP queries. The latest information on referrals held by the CCG is from August 13 which shows limited uptake, mainly in Nettleham and Bassingham, but we know from other sources that Market Deeping and Spalding practices are beginning to refer.

Earache has been identified as a potential ‘green’ condition for referral that may result in higher onward or return referral, due to the lack of equipment and expertise in pharmacies which we have been unable to impact through face to face training due to the covid pandemic.  This information has been fed back to the CCG, suggesting a local enhanced service for these types of condition could be considered in future once they are in charge of pharmacy commissioning locally.

Patient safety concerns relating to online prescribing services

ICS Development and Primary Care Networks - plans for 2021/22 and 2022/23 

As noted in earlier newsletters, from April 2022, Lincolnshire CCG will be replaced by an integrated care system (ICS) with a commissioning board and Lincolnshire’s health and care providers.  We are engaged with the CCG/ICS under the banner of the Four Pillars of Primary Care (4PPC), working with colleagues in General Practice, Optometry and Dentistry to develop a long term strategy when it comes to primary care commissioning in Lincolnshire.  Responsibility for Primary Care Commissioning for Pharmacy, Optometry and Dentistry (POD), will move to the ICS in shadow form, under the direction of NHSE/I from 2022, with a view to full responsibility for commissioning falling to the ICS from April 2023.

Following correspondence with the ICS, the LPC Chair and Chief Officer met with the ICS as one of the 4PPC in April and subsequently on 14^th September.  It is envisaged that overall commissioning of Pharmacy, Dentistry and Optometry will be undertaken at either regional or 'East' level (shared between five ICSs in the East Midlands) and there will be opportunities to develop local services at county level, with focus on engagement and development on a PCN (or groups of PCN based on geography) footprint basis. Future bi-monthly meetings between the LPC/LOC/LDC/LMC and ICS have been proposed along with continued engagement in between meetings between CCG/ICS Executive staff and the Chief Officer/Chair of the LPC, to move forward each of the four primary care pillar areas. 
 

National Primary Care Network Plans

PSNC have produced a briefing which summarises the key points of relevance to community pharmacy in the NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE&I) guidance on Primary Care Networks – plans for 2021/22 and 2022/23 published on 24th August 2021, which can be accessed below

PSNC Briefing 035/21: Primary Care Networks – plans for 2021/22 and 2022/23