Gateshead & South Tyneside LPC  
  • Search
  • Home
  • News Stream
  • Services
    • Winter Access Services
    • Tackle High BP
    • Microspirometry
    • 2019-20 South Tyneside Council Flu Service
    • 2019-20 Gateshead Council Flu Service
    • GP2P Service
    • CPRS
    • NHS Health Checks - Gateshead
    • NHS Health Checks - South Tyneside
    • Think Pharmacy First Gateshead
    • Think Pharmacy First ST
    • EHC-South Tyneside
    • EHC-Gateshead
  • Maintenance
  • Events
  • Contact Us

NHS Mail - Pharmacies should use NHS Mail for Prescription Ordering

28/8/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Following conversations with local GPs, the LPC has become aware that some pharmacies are ordering prescriptions and sending messages to GPs on behalf of patients using non NHS mail. 
​


Please note that you “must” use NHS mail to send confidential data to GP surgeries for security and data protection reasons - as NHS mail is a secure system.

0 Comments

GP2Pharmacy Data Entry and Reconciliation with EMIS Diary

26/8/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Following the introduction of the EMIS diary function into the GP2Pharmacy service, it has become apparent that some pharmacies aren’t processing the consultation on Pharmoutocmes in a timely manner which occasionally is causing confusion at the GP end when reconciling notifications with referrals.
​
The LPC would like to remind all contractors the importance of filling in the Pharmoutcomes claims as soon as possible, so that notifications (GP Letter) gets to GPs efficiently and pharmacy data can be cross checked with GP referrals on the system.  
0 Comments

PPE Guidance Changes - New Guidance for PPE use in Flu Vaccinations

25/8/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Following our recent communications regarding flu services pharmacies will be thinking about the PPE element so we though the following new advice would be useful.
Public Health England has issued new guidance which states that Community pharmacy teams administering vaccinations this year do not need to use single use personal protective equipment (PPE).


​The guidance, published last week (Friday 21 August), said that using single-use PPE items including gloves and aprons for each encounter is ‘not necessary’ and instead ‘staff administering vaccinations must apply hand hygiene between patients and wear a sessional Type IIR mask’.

Gloves and aprons are only recommended for use when there is an anticipated exposure to bodily fluids or broken skin, the guidance states
Guidance on administering vaccinations published earlier in the Covid-19 pandemic said that gloves and aprons should be changed after each patient, while masks, visors and eye masks could be worn for an entire session.

PSNC have summarised the the new guidance on their website.  This can be accessed by 
clicking here.

0 Comments

ERD - Electronic Repeat DispensingUsage is increasing - Webinars to follow.

24/8/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
During the pandemic there has been a big push to increase the amount of electronic repeat dispensing (eRD) in an effort to boost patient and staff safety.
To maximise eRD, there has been a project implemented throughout all the North East & Yorkshire GP practices whereby webinars were used to improve eRD rates.
You may have seen an increase in activity from your local GPs.
Indeed a recent report from the project group illustrates that, although support was given remotely, the eRD rate is increasing.
One of the highlighted areas within the report suggested that not all community pharmacies are up-to-speed with eRD and this was seen as a barrier to further improvement. 
As a consequence, the project team are working with local LPCs including ours to develop a series of webinars for community pharmacists - and their teams - which will explain the process in detail and look for ways that pharmacy staff can help to maximise uptake of eRD;  and prevent some of the issues…such as multiple prescriptions for the same items… causing confusion.



0 Comments

Reset of Think Pharmacy FirstActivity Levels and Claims

21/8/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
When the pandemic began, and the country locked down; the LPC managed to argue, quite rightly, for some local support to help contractors deal with the reduction in numbers of members of the public calling into pharmacies for minor ailment support and other clinical services which relied on face to face consultations.
As a consequence, you will recall that February activity levels were paid throughout April, May and June for the minor ailment service. 


Many contractors welcomed this intervention - as payments were maintained at February levels throughout the initial stages of lock-down and into June - when patients and the public were warned to stay at home to protect the NHS. 
Time has moved on.


Lockdown is easing  and the NHS is resetting.
​


As a consequence, the payments are now based on actual  activity again - and this is the right thing as activity levels are rising.
Please ensure you are able to provide these essential clinical interventions safely as Covid19 has not gone away.
Please ensure that you process your claims in a timely manner and retain your paperwork for audit purpose.
0 Comments

Council Flu Service Work Under Way to Establish a Pharmacy Service

19/8/2020

0 Comments

 

The LPC is working collaboratively with colleagues from Gateshead and South Tyneside Councils, and with our commissioning company PSNE, to try and create an innovative flu vaccination service for council staff.

This service will enable community pharmacies to engage in vaccination of council staff from their pharmacy and via bespoke clinics. It is envisaged that signing up to the service will enable you to vaccinate for a number of councils so that staff can attend any pharmacy near their home and not neccassrily near their work.  We are woroking with other LPC's to widen the range of pharmacies across the region.

More details will follow in due course, but until then  we wanted to give you advance notice and also to encourage you to think about how you will manage the extras demand this year.  In particular how you will provide the service safely with Covid19 still around.  
Think about what you can and must do to keep patients and staff safe.  
For example:- 
Do you intend to open different hours to provide flu only? 
Perhaps get in touch with your local GPs and PCN and find out what they are doing this year and how you can help? 

Have you enough PPE? 

NHS England Survey

Please don't forget to fill in the NHS England Survey as per our our earlier message.

0 Comments

NHS England Regional Flu Survey

17/8/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Please be aware that NHS England have issued a letter and a survey to all Pharmcy contractors via NHS Mail.  The purpose of this to help NHS England Locally to understand Pharmacies potential contribution to the capacity needed to help achieve the national flu tragets.

This year is lilkey to see unprecedneted demand for the vaccine and alongside the governments increase in those eliglbe to receieve NHS vaccines the local health system has been working on undertsanding the capacity to meet the ambition.  Pharmacy is a major partner in this and so the LPC would encourgae all Pharmacy contractors to fill in the survey and help give NHS England the confidence to know that we will be available to help with the demand.

The letter and survey details have been sent to the Pharmacy Shared email boxes and deadline for the survey is
21st August 2020.

We urge you to reply back as soon as possible.  If you work for a lager organisation (CCA) discuss this with your regional reps to see if they can fill it or reply to NHS england on behalf of your compnay.


0 Comments

Annual Report Published and Virtual AGM now Open

13/8/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture

We have now published our annual report for 2019/20 and opened up our virtual AGM.  You can download a copy of the annual report and vote on our AGM Page by clicking here

We would encourage all contractors in Gateshead & South Tyneside to cast their votes.

0 Comments

    News Stream

    This is our News Stream.  Any News stories that appear on our website will be archived here for your convenience in Chronological Order with Catogery  tags to help you find items you are looking for.   

    You can also use our search bar  to find items and our RSS feed on this page to keep informed of news. 

    RSS Feed


    LPC Newsletter Archive

    Copies of our older Paper Based News Letters (The LPC News) can be found by clicking below.

    Picture
    LPC News Letter Archive

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    July 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    March 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012

    Categories

    All
    Action
    Alert
    Announcement
    Business
    Call To Action
    Campaign
    Category M
    Cd's
    Christmas
    Commisioning
    Concessions
    Consultation
    Contractual
    Controlled Drugs
    Council
    Cpaf
    Cpd
    Delivery
    Diabetes
    Drug Tariff
    Ehc
    Election
    Essential Services
    Event
    Finance
    First Contact Clinical
    Flu
    Funding
    Future
    Gateshead
    Gphc
    Guidance
    Health Checks
    Healthy Living Pharmacy
    HMRC
    Hope Winch
    Info
    Information Governance Ig
    INR
    Inspection
    IT
    Lecture
    Legislation
    Local Policy
    Lpn
    Lrc
    Medicines-management
    Meeting
    Mental Capacity Act
    Mental Health
    Mhra
    Mur
    Needle Exchange
    Nhs
    Nhs Contacts
    NHS Mail
    Nms
    North East Pharmacy Forum
    Palliative Care
    Payments
    Pharmacy Qualifications
    Politics
    Pre - Reg
    Prescription Charge
    Psnc
    Public Health
    Reacll
    Recall
    Resources
    RPS
    RPS Event
    Services
    Sexual Health
    Shared Care
    Smoking Cessation
    Standards
    Structure
    Students
    Substance Misuse
    Sunderland Uni
    Tax
    Training
    Up To Date
    Urgent Care
    Vaping

    RSS Feed

Gateshead & South Tyneside Local Pharmaceutical Committee 2016


Photos used under Creative Commons from USCPSC, GovInslee, NHSE, weisserstier, mjtmail (tiggy), RambergMediaImages, Brett Jordan