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Breaking News - Think Pharmacy First Service Coming soon to Gateshead.

28/4/2015

After years of patchy commissioning and small scale pilots, Gateshead and South Tyneside LPC is delighted to announce that the Newcastle Gateshead CCG have approved the commissioning of a minor ailment service from all pharmacies in Gateshead identical to the one which was launched in South Tyneside a few weeks ago.

The LPC is working closely with the CCG to implement the service across Gateshead and we will publish further details in due course as it becomes available.

David Carter, Chairman, Gateshead and South Tyneside LPC said "The LPC is delighted with this decision. Patients across Gateshead will finally be able access minor ailments in all parts of Gateshead. The LPC put a lot of work into the South Tyneside Think Pharmacy First Service and we are happy the CCG in Gateshead have decided to use the same service. The minor ailments service will help to relieve pressures in other parts of the NHS and utilise the Pharmacists and their teams"

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Think Pharmacy First South Tyneside - Important Update Information

28/4/2015

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Following the launch of the Minor Ailments in South Tyneside we have seen a good start to the service with 598 consultations being undertaken.34 out of 39 pharmacies in South Tyneside have signed up to the service.

If you are still to sign up the LPC and CCG would encourage you to do so asap. Once the advertising for the servioce occurs in July if you are not signed up you will need to signpost to another pharmacy.   Full details on signing up including all the documentation needed can be found on the LPC website. http://www.gandstlpc.net/think-pharmacy-first-st.html

Claims Deadlines
For those who are signed up please don’t forget to put your consultations on pharmoutcomes as this will ensure your invoice at the end of the month picks up all your activity.

Please note that Pharmoutcomes will generate your invoice and send it automatically to the CCG on the 5th of May. This will be for all the claims dated in April. Please note that any claims put through after the 5th May with an April date will be sent with Mays Claim on the 5th June. Please note there is a 2 months window for any claims so any April claims put though after 5th June will not be paid.

Going forward please ensure the claims are put through as soon as possible to ensure they do not miss this window.

You can view / print your claims invoice and a breakdown of your data from the claims option at the top of PharmOutocmes screen.

IMPORTANT INFO - Pharm Outcomes Module Update

Over the next 24-48 hours there will be updates to the pharmoutocmes module. This may result in some down time to the module whilst some of the changes are implemented. We don’t anticipate the downtime to be more than a couple of hours.   In the mean time you can proceed with service as normal making sure you record the details using the paper consultation forms which can be entered on to the system once it is back up and running.

The updates will include the following

1. Formulary
We am aware there have been some issues with the forumalry and a handful of products that have been missing. These will be rectified so you should be able to put those claims through.

2. Time of Consultation Question
The "Time of Consultation" question will be updated to split the 8am-12 option into 8-10am and 10am-12 options. This brings it in line with the other 2 hour periods.   The Minor ailment form will be updated to and replace the older form on the LPC website.

3. IMPORTANT - Patient Registration Process

The updated module will separate out the patients details from the consultation details. For all new claims the patient details will need to be entered into a separate "patient registration” module. Please note you do NOT need to re-enter claims that have already been submitted. The change will be for any new claims going forward.

You will not be required to collect any further information from the patient. You will just be entering their details into the registration module the first time they access the service.

Once a person is registered for the service you will not need to register them again regardless of pharmacy they present in.

The patient details section of the main module will be replaced with a search question that will allow you to type in the patients name. If the patient is found you can proceed with with entering the rest of the data. If the patient is not found there will be a link to click which will take you to the registration module where you can enter the patients details before returning to the main module.

This change is essential in order to enable more advanced functions in pharmoutocmes such as the ability to see a patients minor ailments history. This will help you to make more informed decisions in your consultations.

The LPC would like to thank you for the feedback it has received and should you have any other questions / feedback regarding the minor ailments service please don’t hesitate to contact us.

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Don't forget about your IG obligations when delivering prescriptions.

27/4/2015

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Following an incident in the area where the key code to a patients apartment had been annotated to a prescription bag label the LPC would like to remind all contractors about their IG obligations when delivering prescriptions to sheltered accommodation or housebound patients.

Patients may entrust you with information to aid the delivery however please ensure that you DO NOT annotate the label with any of those details especially if it could allow other people access to the property.

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Don't forget to submit your National Audit Data - Deadline is 3rd May

27/4/2015

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The LPC would like to remind contractors of the final deadline for submission of collated data from the national emergency supply audit. It must be submitted to the NHS England no later than Sunday 3rd May. The data submission form will be closed after this date. Failure to submit audit data will be a breach of your contractual obligation and you may be subject to punitive measures by NHS England for breach of contract.

Please note that the data needs to be submitted via the following website and not sent to the Sub regional team of NHS England
https://www.engage.england.nhs.uk/survey/633b45bd

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Think Pharmacy First Launched in SouthTyneside.

1/4/2015

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Today (1st April 2015) South Tyneside CCG has launched it re-vamped Minor Ailments scheme under the branding of Think Pharmacy First. A significant amount of marketing will be put behind this scheme to advertise it to both public and other healthcare professionals who may refer into it.

Last Thursday the CCG presented to a packed room of over 70 pharmacists and staff the details of the new scheme. The LPC has been working with the CCG in the development of the new service and are delighted to see it launch.

Both the LPC and CCG are excited about this new service and hope that this it is just the beginning with service being expanded further to include more conditions and treatments in the future.

We have set up a webpage to host all the relevant documentation and information for the service. This can be accessed here.
If your pharmacy is in South Tyneside make sure you visit the page and sign up to the service.

The CCG's presentation along with SLA's, a step by step guide to signing up and other resources can all be found on the page.

PLEASE NOTE THIS SERVICE IS ONLY OPEN TO SOUTH TYNESIDE PHARMACIES

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Breaking News - Think Pharmacy First Service Coming soon to Gateshead.

Think Pharmacy First South Tyneside - Important Update Information

Don't forget about your IG obligations when delivering prescriptions.

Don't forget to submit your National Audit Data - Deadline is 3rd May

Think Pharmacy First Launched in SouthTyneside.

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