Welcome to Community Pharmacy Lincolnshire News

LPC Conference Overview

This week your Chair, Paul and I thought we would give you an overview of the PSNC conference that we attended virtually on Wednesday this week.

The event was well attended, with over 150 representatives online from across the country. 

The event began with an update on the work of the PSNC from Simon Dukes, PSNC CEO, followed by questions from the attendees.  Simon noted that PSNC have been working hard to lobby government in relation to trying to stop the claw-back of the Covid-19 loans and in calling for a review of pharmacy funding models to reflect the vital role community pharmacy.  Research carried out by PSNC through the recent audit showed that over 1.1 million informal consultations take place in community pharmacy saving 74 GP appointments every week! PSNC have confirmed they are working on proposals to resolve the funding issues facing pharmacies including the possibility of ‘self-referral’ being recognised by central government, to account for the essential services that support the NHS and wider health and care system that are currently not explicitly funded.  There is more that pharmacy can offer but it needs to be supported both financially and otherwise to do so.

Simon noted that ensuring fair funding in future for community pharmacy was a key focus of their negotiations with government, recognising that the NHS is looking for better value across the system but that community pharmacy funding needs to be sustainable to realise the vision of wider health and well-being, self-care and integrated care systems in future.

There was concern raised around sustainable funding for PCN leads and support for their roles, which will be integral to the new ways of working laid out in the health and care white paper published in February this year.

The day also covered the limited work that has been completed relating to the Wright Review of local pharmacy representation via the Review Steering Group (RSG).  The RSG will be producing an outline time-frame for their work in the next few months and would encourage contractors to engage in their work and give their views on the recommendations of the review.  Full details can be found on their website www.pharmacy-review.org

Finally, we got a chance to discuss our priorities for the coming year as LPCs across the country.  It was clear that DMS, the roll-out of the GP-Community Pharmacy Consultation Service (building on the 111 Community Pharmacy Consultation Service), the changes to local commissioning of services proposed via the creation of and integrated care system ICS for each STP area and the issues around sustainable funding were key areas of focus for everyone.

We are out of the office next week, but an update on GP-CPCS will be coming out to you next Thursday in place of the weekly newsletter.
 
Best Wishes

Tracey

Dr Tracey Latham-Green, BA (hons), MBA, PhD
Chief Officer
Tracey.Latham-Green@pharmacylincolnshire.org

Quick Updates: Use of low-dose aspirin in pregnancy

Current NICE guidelines for the management of hypertension in pregnancy advise pregnant women at high risk of pre-eclampsia to take 75–150 mg of aspirin daily from 12 weeks until the birth of the baby. This is just a gentle reminder that this is an unlicensed indication and community pharmacies must not sell aspirin for this purpose (even if recommended by the patient’s midwife). Patients will be carefully assessed by their midwife for risk, and if deemed necessary an appropriate prescription for low-dose aspirin should be arranged.

In case you missed it: Pandemic Delivery Service, funding changes and addition of self-isolators

NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE&I) have announced an extension to the group of patients entitled to assistance with the delivery of prescriptions, as part of the Pandemic Delivery Service. Additionally, following a request from PSNC, increased funding for the Essential service responsibilities has been agreed to reflect the larger number of patients now covered by the service.

Deliveries for self-isolating people

From Tuesday 16th March 2021, people who have been notified of the need to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace will be able to seek support from community pharmacies under the Pandemic Delivery Service. This is part of a package of measures which the Government is putting in place to support people to self-isolate effectively and reduce the spread of COVID-19.

This means all pharmacies (excluding distance selling pharmacies) will be required to ensure those people who have been notified by NHS Test and Trace to self-isolate can receive their prescription medicines and appliances by home delivery during the ten-day self-isolation period, if they are unable to arrange for medicines to be picked up.

This service is only available to people during their ten-day* self-isolation period and who can provide their NHS Test and Trace Account ID when requesting the service (people are provided a unique NHS Test and Trace Account ID, which is an 8-character mix of letters and numbers, when they are contacted by NHS Test and Trace). A record of the NHS Test and Trace Account ID reference number must be made and retained as part of the contractor’s delivery record.

This service will be commissioned until 23:59 on 30th June 2021.

This change to the service eligibility criteria has no impact on the existing eligibility of clinically extremely vulnerable patients to receive support with deliveries; support for this group of patients continues until 23:59 on 31st March 2021.
 
More information can be found on the PSNC website here