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Safety Update - Oral Syringes for unusual doses

21/7/2022

The local Foundation Trust has been doing some medicines awareness training with some of its community health teams. Some of these teams have been visiting patient homes recently and been unable to locate measuring devices (oral syringes) for medicines that need to be accurately measured using such a device.

We are confident that pharmacies will be supplying such devices in these situations as it’s within our terms of service & clearly in the patient interest to be able to measure a dose accurately…but we think it’s important to stress to patients (or their representatives) that the device is cleaned after use and then co-located with the medicine concerned to ensure medication can be given in a timely manner by health teams if necessary.

Hypertension Case Finding Service Pharmoutcomes Template now Available

1/6/2022

You will see three additional services within your PharmOutcomes Services area, which will allow you to record patient results for the blood pressure case finding service.

It is hoped this will make recording results easier within the pharmacy.

If your company has already made these modules available to you, please continue to use the original modules and contact Sami Hanna to switch off the new modules to prevent confusion. Equally if your pharmacy is not showing the templates please get in touch.

Remember, you must also sign up via MYS in order to be paid for this service the template does not transfer the data automatically yet.

NEW -UTI PGD Service PilotNew Service in North East & North Cumbria

1/6/2022

Working with our NHS Colleagues the regional LPC's have arranged for an innovative new Service to be launched across the North East and North Cumbria area.

This service will help alleviate pressure in the NHS system by allowing Pharmacists to deal with UTI's with in the pharmacy and in appropriate cases to supply a medicine via PGD.

The service is being piloted and has a research element to it to enable the NHS to evaluate its success. This is a great opportunity for pharmacies and we would encourage you to sign up and ensure your pharmacy is providing the service.

The North East has seen great success in championing new pharmacy services which then have become national services over the years. We really hope you will agree with us that this is a unique opportunity to provide a useful service to your patients as well has help alleviate pressures within the NHS.

The contractual sign up for this service has been incorporated in the new PSNE Pharmacy Services contract that has been issued recently.

To help clarify the process please follow the steps below to ensure you are signed up and ready to go.

UTI Nitrofurantoin PGD Service - Sign Up Process

Ensure you pharmacy has signed the new PSNE contract for Pharmacy Services.
Details can be found here. (Most will sign up via Pharmoutcomes but multiples will have been contacted via their head office).
Once the pharmacy has signed the contract visit the UTI PGD Resource page
www.psne.co.uk/utipgd.html
Download the Service Spec, PGD and resources.
Ensure you have all the consumables you need (e.g. dipsticks and sample pots).
Ensure all relevant staff are briefed and PGD's are signed by the pharmacist.
Visit Pharmoutcomes and fill in the UTI Nitrofurantoin PGD Sign Up Module. This module will required for you to give assurances that you are ready to provide. It will also trigger the set up payment.
Once both the contract and the UTI PGD Sign up form are received by PSNE.
They will be reviewed and the UTI PGD module switched on for you to start the service .

PSNE Pharmacy Services Contract - Including NEW UTI PGD Service

31/5/2022

PSNE was set up in 2016 by LPCs in response to the change in commissioning landscape in order to protect pharmacy services.  Over the years the number of services which are commissioned through PSNE have increased leading to a number of different contracts being issued and extended over the years.   PSNE has consolidated all its services into a single simplified contract which will be issued shortly.
It is important that pharmacies sign up to the new contract to ensure continuity of services.
The process for signing up will differ for independent pharmacies and some multiples.

For independents
You will need to logon to PharmOutcomes where you will see a module called
‘PSNE Pharmacy Services Contract 2022'
Pharmacies will need to follow the instructions within that module. You will be asked to download  the main contract as well as the service specifications followed by a submission via pharmoutcomes.

For the following multiples
(Boots, Lloyds, Well Bestway, Rowlands, Tesco, Asda, Superdrug, Morrisons, Cohens, Intrahealth, Avicenna, Whitworrths)
PSNE will be directly contacting your Head Offices / Regional Management to arrange contracting.

Should you have any queries regarding the Pharmoutcomes platform please don't hesitate to contact me. (sami.hanna@gandstlpc.net) .
If you have any queries about the contract please contact contracts@psne.co.uk

UTI PGD Service (Pilot)
Please note this contract also contains the new UTI PGD service (Pilot).  This innovative service is available across the ICS area of North East and North Cumbria and we would encourage all to participate in this service.  There is a resource page to help facilitate the service.
This can be found at www.psne.co.uk/utipgd.html

Greener Practice Group1st Meeting - 15th June 2022 - 7.30pm

30/5/2022

Please see a message from the North East Greener Practice Group. Any queries reqgarding this hsould be directed to the group on greenerpracticenortheast@gmail.com
Thanks
Sami

Dear colleague

We are Jo and Ella, a GPST3 and GP in Newcastle. We are excited to announce the launch of North East Greener Practice Group.
Greener Practice
12(13%)
is a national network of Primary Care staff encouraging action on sustainability in primary care. There is a wider move by the NHS to reach Net Zero by 2040, and an increasing recognition around the importance of sustainable healthcare being better for the patient as well as the planet. There are lots of ways we can reduce the impact that our practice has on the planet, and even now some financial incentives to do this (eg the IFF DES on Inhaler prescribing).

We hope that this group will act as a local hub for support, inspiration and ideas around making our own practices more sustainable and thus result in more sustainable practice across the whole area.

Our first meeting will be on 15th June at 7.30pm, online via Zoom.

Format:

Introduction to sustainability in healthcare and GP in North East (Georgie Sowman)
Breakout rooms to reflect and feedback on how this group can be most useful to you, plans for future meetings.
Round up

In the future we are looking to alternate the online meetings with more informal walking meetings, with meetings taking place approx 6 weekly.

We really hope you can join us and please do share with colleagues- this is for primary care HCPs, which includes practice managers, nurses, receptionists, pharmacists, HCAs etc.

Please email greenerpracticenortheast@gmail.com to register your interest and join the mailing list for the online meeting links and future meeting updates

Thank you
Jo Stutchbury and Ella Grummitt

PSNE Pharmacy Services Contract - Including NEW UTI PGD Service

26/5/2022

PSNE was set up in 2016 by LPCs in response to the change in commissioning landscape in order to protect pharmacy services.  Over the years the number of services which are commissioned through PSNE have increased leading to a number of different contracts being issued and extended over the years.   PSNE has consolidated all its services into a single simplified contract which will be issued shortly.

It is important that pharmacies sign up to the new contract to ensure continuity of services.
The process for signing up will differ for independent pharmacies and some multiples.

For independents
You will need to logon to PharmOutcomes where you will see a module called
‘PSNE Pharmacy Services Contract 2022'
Pharmacies will need to follow the instructions within that module. You will be asked to download  the main contract as well as the service specifications followed by a submission via pharmoutcomes.

For the following multiples
(Boots, Lloyds, Well Bestway, Rowlands, Tesco, Asda, Superdrug, Morrisons, Cohens, Intrahealth, Avicenna, Whitworrths)
PSNE will be directly contacting your Head Offices / Regional Management to arrange contracting.

Should you have any queries regarding the Pharmoutcomes platform please don't hesitate to contact me. (sami.hanna@gandstlpc.net) .
If you have any queries about the contract please contact contracts@psne.co.uk

UTI PGD Service (Pilot)
Please note this contract also contains the new UTI PGD service (Pilot).  This innovative service is available across the ICS area of North East and North Cumbria and we would encourage all to participate in this service.  There is a resource page to help facilitate the service.
This can be found at www.psne.co.uk/utipgd.html

Reminder - DOS & NHS Profile Pharmacies must keep up to date Good Afternoon

25/3/2022

We have been advised by our colleagues at NHS England that some pharmacy opening hours are incorrect on their Pharmacy Profile on the NHS website and also on the DOS (Directory of Service). In particular with regards to Bank Holiday openings especially if you have been directed to open by NHS England.

It is important that your opening hours are kept up to date to ensure that both patients and the other services such as 111 are aware of your opening times.

Contractors are reminded of the Terms of Service requirement to ensure they verify and, where necessary, update the information contained in their NHS website profile and their DoS profile at least once each quarter of the financial year.

For the current financial quarter, the deadline for completing this is 31st March 2022. Further information on this requirement can be found by clicking here. Update - NHS Profile Manager

NHS England has advised that the new NHS Profile Manager will no longer launch this month (March 2022). A new go-live date has not currently been announced.While awaiting the launch of the NHS Profile Manager, community pharmacy contractors should continue to use both the existing tools to ensure the information on is up to date. (Links below)

Gateshead Council Public Health Service Contract Extensions and Variations

25/3/2022

Gateshead Council will today be proposing to update the Pharmacy Primary Care Contract specifications (EHC, Health Checks, NRT, Supervised Consumption and Stop Smoking Service).

The process for accepting the new specifications and terms will differ for independent pharmacies and large multiples.

For independents – you will need to logon to PharmOutcomes where you will see a module called ‘Public Health Contract Variation Proposal" (From the Council)’. Pharmacies will need to follow the instructions within that module. You will be asked to download a letter explaining the variation, follow a link to access the specifications and terms and accept the variation by completing
the module and submitting.

For large multiples (Boots, Lloyds, Well Bestway, Rowlands, Tesco, Asda) – the Council will contact your regional or head office contacts directly by way of email. The email address used will the one supplied previously to the Council for contracting purposes. The email will ask them to download a letter explaining the variation, a link to access the specifications and terms and to accept the variation by signing the letter and returning it by email.

Please look out for these and ensure you complete the process to ensure your contract with the council is extended and there is no break in service.

Should you have any queries regarding Pharmoutcomes please don't hesitate to contact me. If you have any contacts regarding the extension or the variations please contact Colleen Briton. Details contained in the letter.

CPCS - How to Escalate Guide

21/3/2022

The LPC has been alerted to some patients being referred back to 111 after having been initially referred to the pharmacy from 111 for a CPCS. Please can we remind pharmacies that this must not happen. If during a CPCS you feel a patient needs to be escalated you must follow the guidance which can be downloaded here. Sending the patient back to 111 should not occur.

Please can you make sure all pharmacists and staff within you pharmacy are aware of this guidance.

Small Group Education Programme – Polypharmacy - 31st March 2022

18/3/2022

*

Dr Matthew Walmsley (Chair, South Tyneside CCG) will currently running a small group education sessions for GP's on optimising treatment. He is planing to run a catch up session session on the 31st March and asked if Pharmacists would like to attend.

The Small Group education concept was established in 1992 for primary care health professionals in Canterbury, New Zealand, to support best practice through independent, evidence-informed, peer-led professional development. A participative, reflective model of learning, training consists of small groups of 12-15 healthcare professionals. Meetings are facilitated by a trained Small Group leader and benefit from expertise across professional disciplines.
South Tyneside Group CCG is participating in a pilot trial of the Small Group education programme. The pilot is running 3 education topics between November 2021 – March 2022,

The current topic of Polypharmacy was recently covered and will be run again on

31st March 2022 6pm - 8pm

This is a great opportunity to attend a learning session along side GP colleagues to aid collaborative working

If you are interested in registering click here to register. The registration link will send an email to a colleague in the CCG (Anna Davidson) who with then send you the meeting links.

If you would like to know more about the topics the handouts and resources can be downloaded below.

*Photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels