CPNCommunity Pharmacy News – June 2015

In a muddle with MUR target groups?Check which groups your patients fall into with our cut

out and keep factsheet

EPS live status checker | Drug Tariff latest | Test your endorsing knowledge

2 Community Pharmacy News – June 2015

Resources: look out for updated local lobbying toolkit Following the general election LPCs may wish to be making

contact with any newly elected or continuing MPs. The weeks

before Parliament breaks for summer can be a good opportunity

to make contact with MPs and to educate them about pharmacy

or restate key messages about the sector. This will build on any

previous work and LPCs may see it as a good time to invite MPs to

visit a local community pharmacy to showcase any new services.

PSNC is working with other pharmacy organisations to ensure

that LPCs have all the resources they need to help with this – look

out for information on template letters, briefings, key messages

and more on our website and in our email newsletters.

We are also working with the other pharmacy organisations to

support the reconstitution of the All-Party Pharmacy Group

(APPG). This group has raised a number of issues concerning

community pharmacy in Parliament in the past and we hope it will

continue to do so in the future.

Last month’s cabinet reshuffle has seen a few changes in the Department of

Health, including the minister in charge of pharmacy. Following Earl Howe’s

move out of the Department and the loss of the Liberal Democrat members

of government, three new Health ministers have been appointed: Alistair

Burt MP, Ben Gummer MP and David Prior (a newly appointed Lord). Jeremy

Hunt MP, Jane Ellison MP and George Freeman MP remain in their positions.

Alistair Burt has been appointed Minister of State, replacing Liberal Democrat

Norman Lamb, taking on most of the same responsibilities, such as mental

health, but also picking up the primary care brief which includes pharmacy.

Mr Burt’s brief also includes older people, local government, and integration.

Mr Burt first became an MP back in 1983

and is currently MP for North East

Bedfordshire. He has previously held

ministerial roles in the Department of

Communities and Local Government, and

the Department of Social Security,

and the Foreign and Commonwealth

Office.

PSNC Chief Executive Sue Sharpe said:

“Earl Howe was a front bench health team

member for very many years and he has

consistently been supportive of community

pharmacy. He was, among other things,

responsible for agreeing the

implementation of the New Medicine

Service despite the financial crisis at the

time; and he will be missed. However; the

opportunity and value that community

pharmacy represents is now well

recognised and I am confident that the new

minister will pick up the baton. We look

forward to working with Alistair Burt and

are pleased to note that his responsibilities

also include care for older people and

integration, both of which are important

areas for community pharmacy.”

New pharmacy minister appointedReshuffle sees former communities and local government minister take on

responsibility for pharmacy and primary care

the healthcare landscape lpcs psnc’s work

Ebola: Update from Department ofHealthSince the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Ebola an

international public health emergency in August 2014, the

Ebola outbreak in West Africa has claimed over 10,000 lives.

While the risk in the UK remains low, Ebola has not gone away.

More than 7,000 people have been screened for Ebola at UK

ports of entry, with 228 UK Ebola tests carried out in Public

Health England (PHE)’s specialist lab. So pharmacy teams need

to be prepared and remain vigilant. It is vitally important that

staff continue to follow the established procedure should a

suspected case present at a local pharmacy.

The most up-to-date information and guidance for community

pharmacy teams is available on the PSNC website:

psnc.org.uk/ebola

Unsure where to get a newSmartcard?PSNC often receives telephone calls and emails

concerning how to apply for, or how to make changes to

profiles of, Smartcards.

Local NHS England teams are responsible for

commissioning local ‘Registration Authorities’ to provide

and oversee Smartcard issues. Pharmacy teams should

contact these authorities to apply for or amend

Smartcard details. Your Registration Authority contact

information may be available from your local NHS

England team, or it might be listed on your LPC site (see

lpc-online.org.uk).

Further details about using Smartcards is available at:

psnc.org.uk/smartcards

psnc.org.uk 3

contract and it dispensing and supply services and commissioningfunding and statistics

Are you unsure of how to endorse and submit your prescriptions correctly? Are you

guilty of over-endorsing your prescriptions because you’re not quite sure of what to

include? Do you find the Drug Tariff difficult to understand?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions then sign up to PSNC’s online workshop

this month, on Tuesday 30th June at 7:30pm, where our in-house Drug Tariff experts

will talk you through the dos and don’ts of endorsing and submitting your prescriptions.

Work through our series of prescription examples before the event to test your and your

pharmacy team’s knowledge then log in to our workshop to learn how to endorse and

sort the examples correctly. Through a series of sample prescriptions seen by the PSNC

Pricing Audit Centre the team will show you how to avoid common errors, as well as

giving top tips and answering your endorsement and pricing related questions.

Please visit psnc.org.uk/webinar for more information and details of how to register.

Missed the webinar?

Don’t worry, you can watch a recording of the event on the PSNC website from a few days afterwards.

Endorsing and Submission Good Practice Workshop – sign up nowPSNC‘s online workshop will guide viewers through the process of endorsing

and submitting prescriptions correctly to help ensure correct payment.

WORKSHOP DETAILSWhen is it?Tuesday 30th June at 7:30pm

Who should sign up?Anyone involved in the dispensing and end-of-month process

How do I register?Please visit psnc.org.uk/webinar

Can this count towards CPD?Yes – for pharmacists and pharmacytechnicians

All community pharmacy accounts that

were open between April and December

2014, and submitted a claim for payment

for the March 2015 dispensing month, will

by now have automatically received the

additional payment agreed between PSNC

and NHS England earlier this year.

This additional fee, paid in recognition of

the reduced level of margin available to

contractors in the early months of the

2014/15 financial year, was paid as part of

the final payment for the March 2015

dispensing month. This was made in late

May/ early June. The payment was

calculated as 3.3 pence for each

professional fee paid to a pharmacy

account between April and December

2014.

Any pharmacies which were open during

this period but had a change in F code

during that time must contact the Pricing

Authority to determine whether they are

eligible for the additional payment.

Contractors should write to the address

published in the Drug Tariff Part IIIA(3)

(see address below) as soon as possible

and, if a payment is due, it will be made

with a subsequent month’s payment

instead.

Contractors are reminded that the

deadline for any payment queries is 18

months after the month in question,

therefore in this

instance queries

must be received by

the Pricing Authority

by 30th September

2016. However, the

sooner a notification

of a change in F code is sent to the Pricing

Authority, the sooner any required

adjustments and payments can be made.

The team at the Pricing Authority to write

to is as follows:

NHS Business Services Authority

Customer Payment Team, Stella House,

Goldcrest Way, Newburn Riverside,

Newcastle upon Tyne, NE15 8NY

Q. Where does the payment appear on

my FP34 Schedule of Payment?

A. The fee is listed on the Schedule of

Payment for the March 2015 dispensing

month, received in late May or early June,

as part of the ‘Adjustment – Fees’ line,

under the section ‘Details of Other

Amounts authorised’.

Q. Will Welsh pharmacy contractors

receive the additional payment for

March 2015?

A. Part IIIA of the April 2015 edition of the

Drug Tariff explicitly states that this

additional payment is applicable to both

English and Welsh contractors.

Q. How much is this payment worth in

total and to each pharmacy?

A. Across the sector the additional payment

will be worth around £25m. The amount

each pharmacy receives depends on the

number of items dispensed from April to

December 2014. For example, a contractor

dispensing around 7,000 items per month

will receive approximately £2,000.

Frequently Asked Questions

Reminder: Additional payment

4 Community Pharmacy News – June 2015

services and commissioning the healthcare landscape lpcs

Service exchangeIn this section of Community Pharmacy News we highlight the latest innovation,

outcomes and resources for community pharmacy services. If you have ideas or

stories for inclusion next time, please email rosie.taylor@psnc.org.uk

The Health Service Journal (HSJ) and Local

Government Chronicle (LGC) have

published a supplement focusing

exclusively on community pharmacy

services and the benefits that pharmacy

can offer patients and commissioners. The

supplement has been sponsored by PSNC

as part of our work to promote service

developments and persuade

commissioners of the value of community

pharmacy services.

HSJ and the LGC are highly respected and

well-read journals in the NHS and social

care sector and the supplement will reach

many of the key decision makers that

community pharmacy needs to influence.

Featuring interviews with commissioners,

LPCs, officials from Public Health England

and influential GPs, the supplement is

designed to showcase pharmacy services

and should alert public health and CCG

teams to some of the possibilities of using

community pharmacy to deliver more

services in the future.

The articles in the supplement explore the

roles that pharmacy can play in areas such

as promotion of healthy living,

vaccinations, supporting independent

living and managing patients with long-

term conditions. They cover some key

success stories, such as flu vaccinations in

London, as well as setting out the benefits

of possible future developments.

PSNC will be sending copies of the

supplement to LPCs to use in their local

discussions with

NHS commissioners

and local

authorities. We are

also supporting the

launch of the

supplement with

the refresh of the

commissioners page

on the PSNC

website. This can be

accessed at psnc.org.uk/commissioners

and directs commissioners to useful

information about pharmacy services. In

addition, we will begin sending emails

directly to commissioners to highlight

relevant pharmacy news to them – look

out for more details on this in upcoming

email newsletters.

HSJ supplement showcases pharmacy services

Minor ailments queries: key messages for pharmacy teamsCommunity pharmacy minor ailment

schemes have been discussed on a number

of social media websites and in the national

media over the last few weeks and patients

in some areas have been asking their

pharmacy teams questions about what they

are entitled to. In some cases there has

been confusion about what patients can

receive free of charge; and pharmacies may

still be receiving questions.

PSNC and Pharmacy Voice have issued the

following key messages which may be of

use to LPCs and pharmacies if this issue

continues to come up locally. LPCs and

pharmacy teams will of course also need to

advise patients in accordance with any local

schemes.

Key messages for LPCs and pharmacy

teams

• Minor ailments services are designed to

give people with certain conditions easier

access to advice and medicines.

• They offer help at a convenient location,

without the need to see a doctor.

• The services are not a chance to simply

stock up on medicines free of charge and

some patients will still have to pay for

medicines even if they can receive advice

under a scheme.

• In England there is no national scheme

and so the services vary by region.

You can read the full PSNC and Pharmacy

Voice statement at psnc.org.uk/news

New resources for servicedevelopment hubThe service development hub page on thePSNC website is regularly updated andincludes links to new tools and informationthat LPCs may find valuable in their workto negotiate and develop services.

Resource links added to the hub thismonth include: • The Local Alcohol Profiles for England

data update for June 2015 published

by Public Health England (PHE);• The Health and Social Care Information

Centre (HSCIC)’s Statistics on Smoking,England – 2015; and

• PHE’s new 2015 Local Health Profiles,which have been added to the HealthProfiles website.

The hub will continue to be updated asand when tools, data and publicationsbecome available. The hub can be foundat: psnc.org.uk/servicehub

HLP webpageupdatedPSNC has beenworking with theHealthy LivingPharmacy (HLP)InnovationGroup and as a

result we have updated our HLP page.New documents include prospectusescreated by LPCs and commissioners toprovide more details on HLP in their area,

Resources Roundup

psnc.org.uk 5

funding and statistics contract and it dispensing and supplypsnc’s work

The PSNC Services Database now has over 700 services listed on it

giving LPC members access to a huge amount of useful information

about locally commissioned services.

But while we are delighted with this progress, we are aware that some

services are still missing and so we are now asking LPCs to check the

Database for any missing services and to let us have details of those.

LPCs are asked to review the service information listed on the Services

Database and if the list of services for your LPC is incomplete, please

contact Rosie Taylor on rosie.taylor@psnc.org.uk so she can update

your services list.

Having more services listed brings many benefits; it provides a great

picture of the number of commissioned services across England, it

allows LPCs to see what is happening in other areas and it also allows

PSNC to conduct analysis on the types of services being commissioned.

and an action plan template. Moredocuments are planned to help supportLPCs and contractors – these will beadded to the page as and when theybecome available.

The updated page can be viewed at:psnc.org.uk/hlp

Improved Medicines OptimisationDashboardNHS England has launched an updated

Medicines Optimisation Dashboard tohelp Clinical Commissioning Groups(CCGs) focus on how well patients acrossthe country are being supported to usetheir medicines, and it may also be auseful stimulus for them to considercommunity pharmacy’s role in this area.

LPCs may find the data useful inidentifying local service opportunitiesand/ or they could use it as supportingevidence when working to get services

commissioned locally. The ‘CommunitySupport’ tab may also be interesting forLPCs and contractors as this includes dataper CCG on the percentage of EPS items,percentage of pharmacies conductingMURs, percentage of pharmaciesconducting NMS and other usefulinformation.

The improved dashboard is available at:tinyurl.com/modashboard

An Avon LPC dementia project funded by

Pinnacle Health Partnership has identified

150 patients experiencing memory

problems which affected their lifestyle. It

also found that 82% of those patients had

not yet raised their memory loss concerns

with their GP.

The successful service aimed to make

pharmacies more dementia aware and to

improve early identification of dementia

through pharmacy interventions, as well as

optimising treatment for patients with

dementia through medicines reviews.

The project was a three tiered service,

which included an initial assessment using

the CQUIN question, a Mini-Cog test and a

medicines review. A follow-up assessment

was also conducted four to eight weeks

later.

In total 180 patients registered to

participate in the dementia identification

service. Of these, 169 participated in the

tier 1 service with 89% saying their memory

had affected their lifestyle over the last 12

months.

The tier 2 service (Mini-Cog test) was

offered to 152 patients with 18% scoring

positively for dementia. 63% of those

patients had not yet spoken to their GP

about their memory.

The tier 3 service (review of medicines) was

offered to 31 patients with 75 medicines

being reviewed and 12 out of 13 patients

who were followed up saying they had

benefited from the review.

Extended benefits of the service also

included creating over 150 Dementia

Friends, raised awareness of dementia in

over 70 pharmacies in Avon and their

communities, as well as the development

of closer links to support organisations such

as Alzheimer’s Society and Carers Trust.

This project was funded by a £5,000 grant

awarded to Avon LPC by Pinnacle Health

Partnership in 2013. The project has now

come to an end, but Bath and North East

Somerset CCG have expressed interest in

the project so this may not be the end for

this service.

Richard Brown, Chief Officer of Avon LPC,

said:

“This project helped raise awareness of

dementia whilst also reducing the stigma

surrounding the subject. The mass

screening process attempting to identify

those experiencing memory loss, with

subsequent Mini-Cog assessment, was a

huge success as pharmacy teams reported

that it was the patients they least expected

who were most in need of support.”

Service documents, including the full

service outcomes report are available to

view on our Services Database at:

psnc.org.uk/database

LPCs: Do your services appear on our Database?

Avon dementia project identifies 150 people affected by memory loss

Over 700service entries on our database

81 commissionedsupervised administrationservices – the most of any service type

57evaluations available for 11 different

types of services

42different types of services

listed

6 Community Pharmacy News – June 2015

services and commissioning the healthcare landscape lpcs

National target groups for MURsCommunity pharmacy contractors must carry out at least 70% of their

Medicine Use Reviews (MURs) within any given financial year on patients in

one or more of the target groups outlined below

The patient is taking atleast ONE medicine

One of the patient's prescribed medicines or the patient'sonly prescribed medicine is listed in the following BNFchapter/sub-sections:

2.2 Diuretics

2.8.1 & 2.8.2 Anticoagulants (including low molecularweight heparin)

2.9 Antiplatelets

10.1.1 NSAIDs

One of the patient's prescribed medicines is listed in thefollowing BNF chapter/sub-sections:

3.1.1 Adrenoceptor agonists

3.1.2 Antimuscarinic bronchodilators

3.1.3 Theophylline

3.1.4 Compound bronchodilator preparations

3.2 Corticosteroids

3.3 Cromoglicate and related therapy, leukotriene receptorantagonists and phosphodiesterase type-4 inhibitors

Patient has been discharged from hospital within theprevious eight weeks AND has had changes to themedicines they are taking while in hospital (patients in thistarget group should ideally be offered an MUR within fourweeks of discharge)

At least one of the patient's regularly prescribed medicinesis listed in the following BNF chapter/sub-sections:

2 Cardiovascular System

6.1 Drugs used in Diabetes

6.2 Thyroid and Anti Thyroid Drugs

The patient falls intotarget group: Highrisk medicines

The patient falls intotarget group: Post-discharge

The patient falls intotarget group:Respiratory

The patient falls intotarget group:Cardiovascular risk

The patient is takingTWO OR MOREmedicines

The patient is takingTWO OR MOREmedicines

The patient is takingFOUR OR MOREmedicines

70%

H

psnc.org.uk 7

funding and statistics contract and it dispensing and supplypsnc’s work

Increased access to online GP services

Almost every GP surgery in England is now offering appointments,

repeat prescriptions and access to summary information in medical

records online. The number tripled in the first three months of the

year meaning that 55 million people now have access.

The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) has

published data (dld.bz/dFbkR) which shows that over 97% of

patients in England can now access online GP services, a huge

increase from the 3% in April 2014. The ambition is that by 2018

every citizen will be able to access their full health records at the

click of a button.

With such a large number of patients in England now able to

manage their repeat prescriptions themselves, community

pharmacy teams may wish to ensure they know which online

services their local GP practices offer and where to direct patients

who want to learn more or sign up to them.

Pharmacy teams may wish to contact GP practice managers in their

area to discuss what options are available and where they can

direct patients to find out more information. Staff at the GP

practice will be able to set up a patient’s access and it’s worth

knowing how the registration procedure works for patients.

“Bold action needed to make NHS fit for the future”

NHS England Chief Executive Simon Stevens has called for bold

action on prevention, the redesign of care and efficiency to help

the NHS through the most challenging period in its history.

In his first speech since the general election (dld.bz/dFbmd), Mr

Stevens, referring to the NHS Five Year Forward View

(dld.bz/d9FK5), said: “Last Autumn the Health Service came

together to chart a shared direction for our country’s NHS. Patients

groups, caring professionals, national leaders – uniting behind the

NHS’ own ‘manifesto’ for the next five years. It’s a plan for better

health, more personalised care, and a financially sustainable Health

Service, which we’re now getting going on.”

Pointing to the realities of current service pressures, he argued

that the Health Service is entering probably the most challenging

period in its 67 year history. Alongside action this year to stabilise

NHS finances, Mr Stevens argued for a new partnership between

the public, government and health service, involving concrete and

sometimes controversial action on three broad fronts – prevention,

care redesign, and efficiency linked to new investment.

Bedfordshire reveals largest ever CCG deficit

Bedfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)’s deficit

reached £43.2m by the end of 2014/15, the largest recorded by

any CCG.

The CCG had predicted a £4.9m surplus at the start of 2014/15,

but by November its forecast deteriorated to a £24m deficit. In

the following months the CCG realised the deficit would be “far

larger and more complex than originally believed”.

The CCG must produce an improvement plan, subject to NHS

England approval, which includes a financial recovery plan for

how it will operate within its annual budget for the next three

years, including a scheme for repayment of its outstanding debt,

and a governance plan.

PSNC regularly receives questions from LPCs and

pharmacy contractors about what is going on in the

wider health and care landscape beyond community

pharmacy. In this round-up we cover the latest news

from the past month.

97% of patients inEngland can now accessonline GP services

the Health Service is enteringprobably the mostchallenging period in its 67 year history

Bedfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)’s deficit reached £43.2m by the end of 2014/15

Have you seen our prescription submission resources?Have you seen our page Completing Your FP34C Submission Document & Dispatching Your Prescription Bundle? Here you will find

information on the dos and don’ts of completing your FP34C and information about dispatching your bundle. You will also find

a link to our Prescription submission factsheet.

Head over to psnc.org.uk/interactive-fp34c for more information.

Where a pharmacy contractor is able to operate the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) Release 1 or Release 2, they are entitled to

receive a £200 monthly allowance to contribute towards EPS costs. This article explains the process of claiming and receiving payment

of the allowance.

Once you go live with EPS (either Release 1 or Release 2), you need to:

1. Submit a one-off claim form

The £200 monthly allowance is only initiated once the relevant claim form (available at: tinyurl.com/epsallowance) has been sent to

your local NHS England team when you first go live with EPS.

2. Check the payment is appearing on your Schedule of Payment

The £200 monthly allowance will be listed as your ‘ETP allowance’ on

your FP34 Schedule of Payment. The allowance appears in the ‘Details

of local amounts authorised’ section.

3. Submit a cancellation letter if you stop using EPS

If you ever cease operating the EPS (Release 1 or 2), you must write to your local NHS England team so that payment of the ongoing

monthly allowance is stopped. A template cancellation letter is available at: psnc.org.uk/cancelEPSallowance

8 Community Pharmacy News – June 2015

contract and it dispensing and supply services and commissioning th

The Health and Social Care Information

Centre (HSCIC) has made live service status

information available to community

pharmacy contractors through their

Smartcard. The HSCIC Service Status pages

show the availability of national

infrastructure services, such as EPS, Spine,

N3 and the Care Identity Service, which

manages Smartcard access.

This means that a pharmacy team

experiencing problems accessing or

processing an electronic prescription can

see at a glance if there is a national service

issue. If it is not a national service issue, it is

likely to be a problem with their PMR

system or with their local equipment or

internet connection. In this case, users can

be confident that they should contact their

supplier’s helpdesk for support.

Pharmacy teams are encouraged to

bookmark the link to the HSCIC service

status webpage (tinyurl.com/EPSchecker),

where they will find information about the

status of the national infrastructure

services; this includes details of any current

and recently closed incidents. There is also

information on historic incidents and

service outages.

EPS users are also encouraged to continue

to sign up to receive text or email alerts at:

tinyurl.com/spinealerts

The HSCIC has undertaken a wide review of

how incidents that affect EPS are logged,

communicated and resolved. Analysis of

the feedback from a recent questionnaire

has provided the HSCIC with a very clear

picture of the main issue, the lack of

information about incidents and outages

for users. Making the service status pages

visible to dispensers is the first step, albeit a

major one, in filling that gap.

A series of recommendations to improve

service management further are being

developed and will be tested by survey

respondents who volunteered to be further

involved with the review.

More information will be shared in the EPS

bulletin which is available online at:

tinyurl.com/EPSbulletin

EPS: New live service reportsHSCIC launch a new tool that allows pharmacy teams to check the live

working status of the Electronic Prescription Service.

Are you claiming your £200 monthly EPS allowance?

DETAILS OF LOCAL AMOUNTS AUTHORISED £

ETP Allowance 200.00

Total amount authorised 200.00

Submit a one-off claim form

Go live with EPS R1 or R2

Check the payment isappearing on your

Schedule of Payment

Submit a cancellationletter if you stop

using EPS

psnc.org.uk 9

lpcs psnc’s work funding and statisticshe healthcare landscape

What is an EPS Business Change workshop?Attending local business change workshops can help pharmacy teams and

GP practice staff get to grips with EPS before they ‘go live’ with the system

As EPS introduces changes for pharmacy teams, GP practice staff and patients, it is

important to ensure that, before the system goes live, everyone involved understands

and agrees how the new processes will work for them. Business change workshops are an

opportunity for GPs and pharmacy teams to discuss how the new EPS process will work

for them locally.

Why is communication between GP practices and pharmacies so important?

When EPS Release 2 (EPS R2) goes live in the GP practice and prescriptions become

electronic, communication between the GP practice and pharmacies is very important to

ensure the smooth running of the system and to ensure that any issues are dealt with

quickly and effectively, so that the patient experience of EPS is a positive one.

When are workshops being held in my area?

Ideally business change workshops will take place prior to system training and no more

than three weeks prior to go live in the GP practice. This approach ensures that decisions

can be made in advance but also that processes are fresh in people’s minds. Any more

than three weeks in advance and some of the key messages may be forgotten.

Local pharmacy teams should be invited to the workshops. To find out if one is

happening in your area, please email epsimplementation@hscic.gov.uk who can put you

in contact with your local EPS lead.

What will be covered?

• Raising awareness of the EPS processes amongst practice and pharmacy staff.

• Reviewing the prescribing processes and agreeing how these will operate after

EPS R2 has been enabled.

• Reviewing the dispensing processes within the pharmacy and agreeing how these

will operate after EPS R2 has been enabled.

• Raising any potential issues before the GP goes live – discussing how the practice

and pharmacy teams will work together to address issues that could arise after go live.

• Discussing the patient communication plan including what literature will be used.

• Agreeing the approach including formally ‘signing off’ the agreed processes.

Who might attend?

Anyone who will work with EPS in the GP practice or pharmacy, such as:

• GP Practice Manager

• Lead GP (and other GPs if possible)

• Member(s) of reception staff/ prescription clerks

• Practice IT lead (if applicable)

• Any other practice staff who are able to attend

• Local pharmacist(s) and dispensing technicians

• Local pharmacy locums who will be using EPS

How long will it last?

This will depend on the number of people in attendance, but be prepared to put aside at

least two to three hours for the workshop.

Further information

There are many tools that can be used to support the business process change sessions.

Ready-made tools such as business process slides, a process checklist, and

communication materials can be found at: systems.hscic.gov.uk/eps/nhs/buschange

Find out more about EPS at: hscic.gov.uk/eps or psnc.org.uk/eps

Top Tips• Identify named contact points

at the GP practice and pharmacy

for queries and to ensure

regular two-way communication.

• Allocate someone to take notes

of the session, so that everyone

has a copy of any agreed

decisions. These can be emailed

to everyone after the meeting.

• Book a series of weekly 10

minute catch-up meetings to

review the previous seven days.

These could be face-to-face

meetings or pre-booked

telephone calls.

• Arrange reciprocal visits to

walk through new processes and

improve understanding within

the GP practice and pharmacy.

• Proactively alert patients to

the introduction of new ways of

working and ask for their

support and patience during

early implementation (e.g.

reception poster).

• After your ‘go live’, have

further discussions about

utilising repeat dispensing

and catch up about any other

issues that have been

experienced. Consider if the

agreed processes work.

• Share the agreed processes

with all attendees after the

workshop.

ElectronicPrescriptionService

10 Community Pharmacy News – June 2015

dispensing and supply services and commissioning the healthcare landscape

All details correct at time of printing.

No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the PSNC.

Produced for the PSNC by Communications International Group. ©. PSNC.

Colour repro and printing by Truprint Media, Margate.

The publishers accept no responsibility for any statement made in signed contributions or

in those reproduced from any other source.

Communications International Group

Linen Hall, 162-168 Regent Street, London W1B 5TB

Tel: 020 7434 1530 Fax: 020 7437 0915

Distributedfor PSNC by:

When pharmacies receive NHS prescriptions they must check whether the items prescribed are allowed on the NHS before dispensing. If they are

not allowed, the pharmacy may not be paid for them. Pharmacy teams may wish to check PSNC’s ‘Dispensing on an FP10 database’ (available at:

psnc.org.uk/FP10database) for more information on whether an item can be dispensed on an FP10, and we have listed some products below

that we have recently received queries about.

Product Is the item Does it Is it Can it be Additional information listed in the have a ‘CE’ in the dispensed Drug Tariff? mark? blacklist? on an FP10?

Please note: If the prescription is one of the following, pharmacy staff will need to check the relevant sections of the Drug Tariff/PSNC website:

• FP10CN or FP10PN (community nurse prescriber) – Part XVIIB.

• FP10D (dental prescriber) – Part XVIIA.

• FP10MDA (instalment dispensing) – psnc.org.uk/mda

Can it be dispensed on an FP10?

Thealoz 3% eye

drops

Cutimed Protect

cream

Earol olive oil ear

spray

Kinesiology tape

NuvaRing

0.12mg/0.015mg

per day vaginal

delivery system

No

Yes

No

No

Yes

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

No

No

Yes

This item is a medical device (CE marked) and is not listed in Part

IX of the Drug Tariff.

This item is a medical device (CE marked) and appears in Part IX of

the Drug Tariff.

This item is a medical device (CE marked) and is not listed in Part

IX of the Drug Tariff.

This item is a medical device (CE marked) and is not listed in Part

IX of the Drug Tariff.

This item is not a medical device (CE marked) and does not appear

in Part XVIIIA (the ‘blacklist’) of the Drug Tariff.

Midazolam 10mg/ml oral solutionremoved from the Drug Tariff

Midazolam 10mg/ml oral solution 5ml has been removed from Part VIIIB (specials

and imported unlicensed medicines) of the Drug Tariff. Therefore any prescriptions

for this product dispensed from 1st June onwards will need additional

endorsement as outlined in Part VIIIB.

In summary, unlicensed medicines which are not listed in Part VIIIB of the Drug

Tariff and are sourced under a manufacturer’s specials or importer’s licence

issued by the MHRA, must be endorsed with the following:

• Amount dispensed over pack size used

• Invoice price per pack size from which the order

was supplied less any discount or rebate

• Manufacturer’s or importer’s MHRA licence

number

• Batch number of the product supplied

• SP

Further information on dispensing and endorsing unlicensed specials and imports

can be found at psnc.org.uk/specials

NHSBSA’s Hints & TipsThe Pricing Authority produces a quarterly

newsletter called Hints & Tips for

dispensing contractors. We would like to

draw your attention to the latest edition

(Issue 19) as it contains some really useful

information and advice regarding:

• News on NHS Business Services

Authority (NHSBSA)’s FP34 Schedule of

Payments online portal.

• How to find an EPS prescription using

the prescription tracker.

• Guidance on claiming out of pocket

expenses and not dispensed

endorsements.

• Information on the new web pages for

the NHS dictionary of medicines and

devices (dm+d).

All published editions of the Hints & Tips

newsletter can be found on the NHSBSA

website: www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/3191.aspx

psnc.org.uk 11

psnc’s work funding and statistics contract and itlpcs

1. If I already operate a prescription

collection service for some patients, do I

need consent to set their electronic

prescription nominations to my pharmacy?

Yes. Explicit consent must always be

obtained from the patient or their

representative before changing a patient’s

nomination settings.

Explicit consent can be collected in

advance of the pharmacy deploying

Release 2. If there is a delay between

collecting consent and changing the

patient’s preference on the Personal

Demographics Service, the pharmacy

contractor should ensure there has been

no change in the patient’s circumstances,

including their choice of nominated

dispensing site, since the original consent

was obtained. Find out more at:

psnc.org.uk/nomination

2. Does the Pricing Authority begin pricing

electronic prescriptions as soon as they

are received in-month?

No. The Pricing Authority only begins

pricing electronic prescriptions once they

have received the bundle of paper

prescriptions with the end-of-month

submission form (FP34C). The FP34C form

covers the paper prescriptions which have

been included in the prescription bundle,

and those electronic prescriptions which

are assigned to that dispensing month (i.e.

dispense message sent in-month, and claim

message sent by the 5th of the following

month).

3. I have received an FP10 prescription for

“160 Madopar 25mg/100mg capsules”.

The lid of the product contains a

desiccant; would I be reimbursed for

supplying 2x100 capsules under special

container rules?

No. There is strict criteria, which can be

found in Part II Clause 10 of the Drug Tariff,

which the Department of Health use to

determine whether a product should be

considered to be packaged in a special

container. Although Madopar preparations

have integral desiccants in the lid, the

manufacturer Roche has not been able to

provide any evidence that these products

are hygroscopic. Therefore, no Madopar

preparations are classed as special

containers.

In this example, a contractor would be

reimbursed for supplying 160 capsules

against a prescription requesting 160

capsules. Broken bulk could be claimed on

the residual balance.

4. If a patient uses a pen with an ink

colour other than black to complete the

exemption declaration, is there a risk that

the scanner will not be able to pick this up

and will ‘switch’ the prescription to paid?

No, there is no requirement for the

exemption declaration to be completed

using a pen with a particular ink colour. All

forms are reviewed by an exception

handler before a prescription is considered

for switching, therefore, even if the CIP

scanner cannot read the signature due to

ink colour, the handler will be able to.

Look out for more frequently asked

questions next month…

Ask PSNCThe PSNC Dispensing and Supply Team give pharmacy teams support and advice on a

range of topics related to the Drug Tariff and reimbursement. Questions asked in

recent months have included:

If you would like more information on any

of the topics covered, the PSNC Dispensing

and Supply Team will be happy to help (call

0844 381 4180 or 0203 1220 810 or e-mail

info@psnc.org.uk).

Have you seen our prescription chargeresources?Have you seen our page What Does the Patient Pay? Here you will find

links to the Prescription Charge Card and Multi Charge Card. If you don’t

already have copies why not print them out and use them as a point of

reference for dispensing staff? Other useful information can be found on

this page such as an outline of the rules on how to determine the number

of prescription charges which are payable. You will also find a collection

of ‘how many charges’ examples and some helpful FAQs.

Head over to psnc.org.uk/charges for more information.

Problems obtaining amedicine or appliance?Pharmacy teams who experience problems in

obtaining medicines (generic or branded) or

appliances are reminded to feed this back to

the PSNC Dispensing and Supply Team to

support PSNC’s ongoing representation of

issues in the supply chain to the Department

of Health. Please make sure you let us know

about any supply issues by using our online

feedback forms at psnc.org.uk/feedback

As of June 2015, Temazepam prescriptions must comply with the

following prescription writing requirements as per other

Schedule 3 Controlled Drugs:

• dose

• form

• strength (where appropriate)

• total quantity of the preparation in both words and figures

The Medicines, Ethics and Practice, published annually by the Royal

Pharmaceutical Society, provides more detailed guidance on

these requirements.

Further information about Controlled Drug prescription forms

and their validity can be found on the PSNC website at:

psnc.org.uk/cdforms

Prescription requirement changes for Temazepam

dispensing and supply services and commissioning the healthcare landscape

PSNC websiteFor up to date information and news on community pharmacy issues, visit the PSNC website at psnc.org.uk

PSNC Community Pharmacy News is published by:The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, Times House, 5 Bravingtons Walk, London N1 9AWCommunity Pharmacy News is edited by:Zoe Smeaton who can be contacted at the above address or by email at: zoe.smeaton@psnc.org.uk © PSNCPSNC Office: 0844 381 4180 or 0203 122 0810

Drug Tariff WatchBelow is a quick summary of some of the changes due to take place from 1st July 2015

Part VIIIA Additions

Category A Additions:

SC Special Container

• Ampicillin 500mg powder for solution

for injection vials (10)

• Arachis oil 130ml enema SC (1)

• Aspirin 300mg suppositories (10)

• Atorvastatin 30mg tablets (28)

• Atorvastatin 60mg tablets (28)

• Beclometasone 0.025% cream SC (30g)

• Chloramphenicol 250mg capsules (60)

• Clobetasol 500microgram / Neomycin

5mg / Nystatin 100,000units/g cream

SC (30g)

• Clobetasol 500microgram / Neomycin

5mg / Nystatin 100,000units/g

ointment SC (30g)

• Glyceryl trinitrate 400micrograms/dose

aerosol sublingual spray SC (180 dose)

• Glyceryl trinitrate 400micrograms/dose

aerosol sublingual spray SC (200 dose)

• Mefenamic acid 50mg/5ml oral

suspension (125ml)

Category C Additions:

• Alginate raft-forming oral suspension

sugar free (150ml) - Gaviscon Original

Aniseed Relief

• Alginate raft-forming oral suspension

sugar free (300ml) - Gaviscon Original

Aniseed Relief

• Alginate raft-forming oral suspension

sugar free (500ml) - Gaviscon Original

Aniseed Relief

• Alginate raft-forming oral suspension

sugar free (600ml) - Gaviscon Original

Aniseed Relief

• Calcium acetate 475mg tablets (200) -

Renacet

• Calcium acetate 950mg tablets (200) –

Renacet

• Hyoscine hydrobromide 150microgram

tablets (12) - Kwells Kids

• Hyoscine hydrobromide 300microgram

tablets (12) - Kwells

• Lofepramine 70mg/5ml oral

suspension sugar free (150ml) - Lomont

• Loperamide 2mg orodispersible tablets

sugar free (18) - Imodium Instant Melts

• Prednisolone 2.5mg tablets (30) -

Pevanti

• Prednisolone 10mg tablets (30) -

Pevanti

• Prednisolone 20mg tablets (30) -

Pevanti

• Salicylic acid 2% ointment (450g) -

Thornton & Ross Ltd

• Sodium oxybate 500mg/ml oral

solution sugar free SC (180ml) - Xyrem

• Trospium chloride 60mg modified-

release capsules (28) - Regurin XL

Part VIIIA Amendments

SC Special Container

• Aspirin 75mg tablets (28) is changing to

Catergory A

• Atropine 1% eye drops SC (10ml) is

changing to Catergory A

• Diethylstilbestrol 5mg tablets (28) is

changing to Category C Teva UK Ltd

Part VIIIA Deletions

If a medicinal product has been removed

from Part VIIIA and has no other pack sizes

listed, it can continue to be dispensed, but

it will need to be endorsed fully (i.e. brand

or supplier name from whom the product

was purchased and the pack size from

which the item was dispensed), and where

the Prescription Authority does hold a

price on their database (DM+D) the price

paid per pack will need to be also be

endorsed.

• Loperamide 2mg oral lyophilisates sugar

free (18) Category C - Imodium Instants

• Pimozide 4mg tablets (100) Category C

– Orap

• Sodium cromoglicate 4% nasal spray

(22ml) Category C - Rynacrom

Part IX Deletions

It is important to take careful note of

removals from Part IX because if you

dispense a deleted product, prescriptions

will be returned as disallowed and

therefore payment will not be made for

dispensing the item.

• K Two Start - multi-layer compression

bandage kit 18-25cm

25-32cm

• UrgoSTART Contact (wound contact

layer) 11cm x 11cm

• Telfa Max 22.8cm x 38cm

38cm x 45.7cm

38cm x 60.9cm

• KoCarbon Hydrophilic 10cm x 10cm

20cm x 20cm

• KoCarbon Occlusive 4cm x 6.4cm

(non-waterproof)

4cm x 6.5cm

(waterproof)

10cm x 15cm

(waterproof)

10cm x 25cm

(waterproof)

• Allevyn Thin (adhesive)

Square 10cm x 10cm

15cm x 15cm

Rectangular 5cm x 6cm

15cm x 20cm

• Coloplast Ltd

Closed MC2000/MC2002

White 9011

Flesh 9021

Open MC2000/MC2002

White 9012

Flesh 9022

Mini Decorated Open MC2000

White 9013

Flesh 9023

URO 2002 4260 White 9014

URO 2002 4240 9015

URO 2002 4241 9016

I ILEO B (Standard) 9003

• Biotrol Integrale bag with filter & skin

protector adhesive 40mm 32-440

45mm 32-445

• Biotrol Elite bag with skin protector

adhesive and fabric backing

Beige 35mm 38-835

White 25mm 34-825

30mm 34-830

Need to know if an item can be

dispensed on an FP10? Check on our

database at: psnc.org.uk/FP10database