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Welcome to Community Pharmacy Lincolnshire News

Welcome to our weekly newsletter.  

In this week's email:

  • Communication from NHS Regional Team re Compliance Aids
  • Government Funding Announcement and PSNC position on Services
  • Controlled Drugs Update: Issues and Advice
  • Health and Wellbeing resource: Fighting Fit-Supporting people living with or recovering from cancer in Lincolnshire.

UPCOMING DEADLINES/KEY DATES

  • Today 25th May 2023 - The new, imposed NHS (Pharmaceutical and Local Pharmaceutical Services) (PLPS) Regulations 2013 come into force introducing:
a ‘notification’ procedure for 100-hour pharmacies to reduce their total weekly core opening hours to no less than 72 hours, subject to various requirements;
a notification procedure for introducing or changing rest breaks, by changing core opening hours (100-hour or former 100-hour pharmacies apply for rest breaks);
provision for local hours plans to be agreed by the local Integrated Care Board (ICB) with temporarily reduced opening hours for participating pharmacies within the area of the plan;
a requirement to have a business continuity plan dealing with temporary closures and to action it in the event of a temporary closure (suspension) (a terms of service requirement from 31 July 2023); and
other regulatory amendments, including changes to fitness information and the procedures for applying to change core opening hours and notifying changes of supplementary opening hours.

Please see guidance from PSNC here including briefing note on the PLPS regulatory changes,which includes additional information to clarify certain issues in relation to 100-hour pharmacies.

 
  • 1st June 2023 - Pharmacy Quality Scheme (PQS) – Launch of the Year 5 Scheme 2023/24 See newsletter 18th May 2023 here
 
  • 30th June 2023 - Deadline for Contractors to complete the Data Security and Protection Toolkit  Find out more including a webinar from PSNC to assist in completion.
 
IMPORTANT GENERAL REMINDERS
  • From 1st December 2022 - Changes to nhs.net email access requirements.  Inactivity period prior to permanent, irrecoverable account deletion reduced from 180 days to 60 days.
In order to access the store nhs.net email account, users need to maintain an active nhs email individually.  It is important you sign into your account regularly or it will be disabled by NHSmail administration and will not be able to be recovered. Please make sure you share with your colleagues/team members the need to log into their nhs email at least once every 30 days-perhaps make a diary note to log in once a month to make sure. This was covered in more detail in the newsletter here.
PSNC have produced a factsheet about NHSmail on mobile devices which explains how to access the shared NHSmail inbox within the Outlook mobile app. The app enables contractors to quickly and easily access NHSmail and provides contractors with the flexibility to choose how and when they would like to be notified about incoming emails. Find out more here
 
  • 1st December 2022 - Changes to Controlled Drug Reporting - new website active 
Please complete registration on the new website ASAP. More details in our recent newsletter here.
 
  • Remember changes occurred on 1st October 2022 - GPhC reinstating full revalidation requirements for registrants with new standards for the reflective account now apply

Communication from NHS Regional Team re Compliance Aids

 


The LPC are aware of another challenging email sent to pharmacy contractors late last week from the Midlands Regional NHS Team regarding compliance aids under the Equality Act. This is a repeated communication on the same topic which has been challenge by the LPC as, like the email sent out to contractors in April, it contains some factual inaccuracies. We have been advised this was sent in error by the team and a retraction email should have been sent to you.

We are in communication with the regional team to ensure communications that are sent to contractors are appropriately worded and contain accurate information in future.

Remember, as a pharmacy contractor you only have a duty to consider reasonable adjustment and to help with this please see the relevant page on our website here and the guidance issued by PSNC -  The Equality Act 2010 - PSNC Website
 
Additionally recent GPHC guidance should also be considered when looking at any adjustment - Page 14 point 1.5 -
https://www.pharmacyregulation.org/sites/default/files/document/gphc-equality-guidance-for-pharmacies-december-2022_0.pdf

Government Funding Announcement and PSNC position on Services

 

Hopefully you will have seen PSNC’s recent position statement regarding the challenges faced by community pharmacy and the recommendation to NHSE that no new services or quality schemes should be implemented without significant increase in funding. The recent announcements regarding additional investment for community pharmacy have provided us with some cautious optimism, but there are still many details for PSNC and NHSE to negotiate around this.

You may have seen that other Local Pharmaceutical Committees have urged contractors not to participate in new services such as the NHS Contraception Service. The Community Pharmacy Lincolnshire Committee are fully supportive of PSNC's position on the rollout of PQS and new services. However, we feel it is for individual pharmacy contractors to decide whether or not to participate in new services or the Pharmacy Quality Scheme (for which data collection begins on 1st June)

We would urge contractors to consider carefully the impacts and benefits of delivering new or increased services or participation in PQS at the current time.

As more is known about the new funding, we will continue to communicate and support you with the changes.

Controlled Drugs Update: Issues and Advice


Community Pharmacy Lincolnshire attend quarterly CD Local Intelligence Network meetings on behalf of pharmacy contractors. At the May meeting, several incidents and issues were discussed, and we've highlighted some of these below, to help you and your teams to reflect on safe and effective practice. You may wish to brief your teams on these, and review any relevant standard operating procedures (SOPs):
  • Espranor® being dispensed incorrectly against prescriptions written generically for buprenorphine sublingual tablets:
    • Espranor are oral lyophilisates wich dissolve rapidly on, rather than under, the tongue; these have different bioavailabilty to sublingual tablets and cannot be used interchangeably.
       
  • Controlled drugs being handed out beyond their validity period:
    • Schedule 2,3 and 4 CDs are valid for 28 days after the relevant date. Processes must be in place in the pharmacy to ensure that CDs cannot be handed to patients (including owings) after the appropriate date, such as stickers on bags or notes made on prescription tokens.
       
  • Patients being given methadone after three missed doses:
    • This has clinical concerns as it greatly increases the risk of overdose. Instalment prescriptions should be checked for previous supplies before issuing the next instalment; where three or more doses have been missed, this should be discussed with the key worker or prescribing clinician before making a further supply
       
  • Patients challenging the supplied quantity of controlled drugs
    • This has been a particular issue where the dispensed quantity doesn't correspond with a manufacturer's sealed, original pack. Where CDs are dispensed as either split packs of the manufacturer's original packaging or are dispensed into pharmacy cartons, the contents should be removed from the pack as part of the accuracy checking process and the quantity checked, before returning to the container. A tip from Community Pharmacy Lincolnshire is for the accuracy checker to also initial the inside tab of each carton to make it clear that this has been done, as an addition to their usual checking process (such as initialling the checking box on the prescription label).
You can find links to the CD Accountable Office newsletters, and information about reporting CD incidents on our web page

Health and Wellbeing resource: Fighting Fit-Supporting people living with or recovering from cancer in Lincolnshire.


Lincoln City Foundation have asked us to share details of a funded fitness support programme they offer for people living with or recovering from Cancer:

"Supporting people living with or recovering from cancer in Lincolnshire, Fighting Fit focuses on low-impact fitness designed to help you to maintain or increase physical activity levels at a pace that suits you and supports you in the fight against cancer and long-term health conditions. 

We will help you build your strength, motivation and physical ambitions. However, It's not all about the body!

These are group sessions where you can connect with people with shared experiences. After these sessions, there is the opportunity to stay for a drink and chat using social spaces near each location."

The session dates and times currently are shown below and more details of this and other activities offered across the county by Lincoln City Foundation can be found on their website here: Fighting Fit | Lincoln City Foundation | England
 
Fighting Fit Lincoln
Yarborough Leisure Centre
Tuesday | 1:30 - 3 pm
​Sessions are £4, with the first 10 sessions free, funded by Lincolnshire CCG.
​ 
Fighting Fit Lincoln
Performing Arts Studio, Bishop Grosseteste University
Thursday | 6:30pm – 7:15pm
Sessions are £4, with the first 10 sessions free, funded by Lincolnshire CCG.
​
Fighting Fit Mablethorpe
Magna Vitae Station Sports Centre
Thursday | 10:30 am - 12:00 pm 
​Sessions are £4, with the first 10 sessions free, funded by Lincolnshire CCG.
 
Fighting Fit Gainsborough
West Lindsey Leisure Centre
Wednesday | 10:00 am – 11:30 am
Sessions are £3.75, with the first 10 sessions free.
​
​Fighting Fit Grantham
Grantham Meres Leisure Centre
Tuesday | 1:30 pm – 3pm
​Sessions are £4, with the first 10 sessions free.​
​
​Fighting Fit Boston
Boston United, The Jakemans Stadium
Wednesday | 10:30 am – 12 noon
​Sessions are £4, with the first 10 sessions free.
  
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Community Pharmacy Lincolnshire are continuing to update and refresh our website. Let us know if there are any specific things you'd like to see, You can email us at info@pharmacylincolnshire.org

Remember, you can also contact us using info@pharmacylincolnshire.org with any questions, queries or feedback you may have.

 
Lincolnshire Local Pharmaceutical Committee is the voice of NHS pharmacies in Lincolnshire.  For further information about the work we do, contact chief.officer@pharmacylincolnshire.org or visit www.pharmacylincolnshire.org 
Copyright © 2023 Community Pharmacy Lincolnshire, All rights reserved.


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