Please note the very tight timescale. The message asks for the request form below to be completed and returned to NHS England by Friday 20th January. The return email address is included towards the end of the message.
From 1 December 2016, community pharmacies across England will start to register with NHS England to provide the NHS Urgent Medicines Supply Advanced Service (NUMSAS) as part of a national plot. The Service will allow community pharmacies to supply a repeat medicine at NHS expense, following a referral from NHS111 and where the pharmacist identifies that the patient has an immediate need for the medicine and that it is impractical to obtain a prescription without undue delay.
The Service is not intended to replace the usual care a patient would receive from their GP and pharmacist and it will not be advertised directly to the public. The Service is being piloted nationally to evaluate the impact on the urgent care system to inform future commissioning.
The cost associated with this for patients who do not usually pay for their prescriptions means that they often choose to consult an out-of-hours service or emergency department if they perceive the need for their medicines is urgent. Visitors to an area may also require emergency supplies of repeat medicines both in and out of hours.
The Service makes it possible for the community pharmacist to manage these patients by providing an emergency supply of medicines at NHS expense where this is appropriate (i.e. the requirements of the medicines legislation are met).
The community pharmacy service specification for NUMSAS can be found in the link below:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/primary-care-comm/pharmacy/urgent-care/
In Cumbria and the North East, work is being carried out to mobilise NUMSAS as soon as possible and it is hoped that NUMSAS will commence by 31 January 2017. Once mobilised, the service will run to 31 March 2018. An evaluation will be undertaken nationally including feedback from patients and urgent care providers to inform future commissioning arrangements.
In order for pharmacies to deliver NUMSAS, NHS Mail accounts must be set up. Should you wish to deliver NUMSAS, please complete the form below in full and send this back to: [email protected]t by Friday 20 January 2017. The form must be completed in full in order for a NHS Mail account to be set up. Should you have any queries regarding this form please contact Clair Dodds on 01138247206.
Where individuals – including locum staff – have existing personal NHSmail addresses, please include this information on the spreadsheet rather than requesting new addresses. This reduces the number of people that need to be notified of password details.