P-Z

Click on a heading below for more information. 

Palliative Care Scheme

This service is aimed at the supply of Emergency Palliative Care medicines, the demand for which may be urgent and/or unpredictable.

The pharmacy contractor will stock a locally agreed range of Emergency Palliative Care medicines and will make a commitment to ensure that users of this service have prompt access to these medicines during the pharmacy’s regular core and supplementary hours.

In Surrey more information can be found here on the prescribing advisory database

NICE guidance on end-of-life care here

Click here to access the essential guides for service claiming and service information

For more information

Contact: lpc@communitypharmacyss.co.uk 

Pharmacy Quality Scheme

PPE - personal protective equipment - last updated 13 October 2020

COVID-19: This entry is reviewed regularly and updated as required (updated: 17 November 2020)

The national PPE portal was set up early in the Coronavirus crisis. It has changed from emergency support and is now available to provide ALL Covid related PPE, free-of-charge to primary care. Contractors will need to register with the portal in order to use it.  

      1. All contractors should now be registered on the Gov’s PPE Dedicated Supply Channel having had an email in October 2020 from ppe.dedicated.supply.channel@notifications.service.gov.uk  (please note this email address does not accept incoming emails).  If a contractor or is having any difficulties in registering they should contact the portal customer service team on 0800 876 6802.
        • Orders through the portal should arrive within 48 hours if placed before 1pm. Orders placed after 1pm will be subject to an additional 24-hours. Information on what items are available for your sector and size are available on the DHSC guidance page here 

Queries and/or more information

    1. PPE Portal – some common user questions If you have questions about when you can place your next order or why items are showing out of stock or any other queries, please see the PPE portal FAQs. They can be found by logging into www.nhs-ppe.co.uk and scrolling to the bottom and selecting help/FAQ. If you have any concerns that aren’t answered in these, please do get in touch with the customer service team on 0800 876 6802. The team is available from 7am to 7pm, 7 days a week.
    2. All other queries and questions please email us at lpc@communitypharmacyss.co.uk. 

Primary care networks (PCNs)

NHS England has significant ambitions for primary care networks (PCNs), with the expectation that they will be a key vehicle for delivering many of the commitments in the long-term plan and providing a wider range of services to patients. 

They will eventually be required to deliver a set of seven national service specifications: structured medication reviews, enhanced health in care homes, anticipatory care (with community services), personalised care, supporting early cancer diagnosis, cardiovascular disease case-finding and locally agreed action to tackle inequalities.

Surrey and Sussex has over 60 PCNs. Read more

For more information

Quarterly Submissions

Under the CPCF community pharmacy contractors must submit completed New Medicine Service (NMS) electronic reporting templates via MYS to the NHS Business Services Authority (NHS BSA) within 10 working days of the last day of each financial quarter. Failure to do so could result in a breach notice and/or financial penalties.

NHSE&I have agreed with PSNC that there will be no requirement to report data at the end of Q2 and to re-start the NMS quarterly reporting in Q3 of 2021/22 (from the end of December 2021).

NHSE&I are currently working with PSNC and the NHSBSA to finalise updates to the data reporting template and further details will be sent out in due course. More information on the updated reporting templates will also be available on the NHS BSA website prior to reporting window opening.

More information

    • The process to follow to submit NMS quarterly information can be found on the NHS BSA website.
    • Contact us at: lpc@communitypharmacyss.co.uk

Real time exemption checking (RTEC)

By May 2021, more than three quarters of pharmacy organisations had registered to access Real Time Exemption Checking (RTEC), which saves staff time and reduces the use of paper.

More information

    • Find out how your pharmacy can get ‘RTEC ready’ on PSNC’s dedicated RTEC webpage

Repeat dispensing/electronic repeat dispensing (eRD)

At least two thirds of all prescriptions generated in primary care are for patients needing repeat supplies of regular medicines, and since 2005 repeat dispensing has been an Essential Service within the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF).

Originally this service was mostly carried out using paper prescriptions, but as the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) has developed, the majority of repeat dispensing is now carried out via EPS release 4 and is termed electronic Repeat Dispensing (eRD). eRD is much more efficient and convenient for all involved.

More information

Safeguarding

See CPPE for Safeguarding training 

Surrey County Council Safeguarding contacts:

West Sussex County Council Safeguarding contacts: 

Brighton & Hove City Council Safeguarding contacts:

East Sussex County Council Safeguarding contacts: 

More information 

Self-care for minor conditions

Our toolkit called Promotion of Self-Care for Minor Conditions by Community Pharmacies CPSS Toolkit has been developed to assist community pharmacists and their teams promote  self-care for minor conditions by community pharmacies. It includes:

    • Guidance on the prescribing of Over the Counter (OTC) medicines
    • Conditions for which OTC items should not routinely be prescribed in primary care
    • Information and resources to support local pharmacy staff with their conversations with patients, local GP practices and CCG colleagues
    • How to support people to Self-Care for Minor Conditions via Community Pharmacy
    • Training and resources 
    • Surrey OTC medicines statement.

More information

Service evaluation tool

The LPCs represent local contractors in negotiations for locally commissioned services and have developed a ‘service evaluation tool’ for locally commissioned services to help scrutinise each proposal / service specification.

At the end of the scrutiny process a summary is shared with contractors who have expressed an interest in providing the service to highlight the key points for their attention and consideration. This helps contractors make an informed decision to provide a locally commissioned service, or not.

For more information 

Sharps (patients)

It is a responsibility of local councils to collect and dispose of patient sharps.

From 31 January 2019 community pharmacists must not accept sharps of any kind from patients. Instead they should refer patients to their local authority.

This document lists local authorities in Surrey and Sussex  Sharps disposal (local authorities in Surrey and Sussex [pdf]

More information

Signposting

This is an Essential service. It’s the provision of information to people visiting the pharmacy.

For people who require further support, advice or treatment which cannot be provided by the pharmacy, on other health and social care providers or support organisations who may be able to assist the person. Where appropriate this may take the form of a referral.  

Pharmacies are be expected to help people who ask for assistance by directing them to the most appropriate source of help

For more information

Smartcards (and helpdesk contact details for Surrey & Sussex)

NHS smartcards are similar to chip and PIN bank cards, and their access control provide security measures to protect patient data. Access control ensures only those people who are directly involved in patient care, and have a legitimate reason to access patient medical information can do so.

The local Registration Authority will assign roles onto the Smartcard, and will also set the Smartcard so that it can be used in the relevant pharmacy, or multiple pharmacies.

Each pharmacy team member whose role means that they need a Smartcard should have one; Smartcards should not be shared by staff. All pharmacy staff registering for a smartcard for the first time will have to go through the full registration process, including having their identity verified. 

Problems with Smartcards?

    • Surrey: Here are helpdesk contact numbers for Surrey (note the Sussex numbers in this document are no longer valid)
    • Sussex:  For Sussex ring 0800 021 3337 if it is for expired /new smartcards. It will then ask you to select the area – West Sussex, East Sussex or Brighton and Hove.

For more information

Stationery

Dispensing tokens and NHS stationery is ordered via the PCSE ordering portal. Once your pharmacy is registered on the portal, you just need to log-in and order. You can to place and track all orders on the portal and see expected delivery dates

For more information

Summary care records (SCR)

SCR provides pharmacists and pharmacy technicians with quick access to patient information, such as medication, allergies and adverse reactions, meaning there is less need to contact GPs, especially out-of-hours or during busy periods.

More information

 

Surrey care records (SyCR)

This new project in Surrey, not to be confused with Summary Care Records (SCR), goes live to primary care, community teams and acute services in the future. Plans are underway to include community pharmacy before the end of 2022. More information when available. Until then please contact lpc@communitypharmacyss.co.uk 

 Read more on the Surrey Heartlands website and watch this video.

Translating and interpreting services

A number of translation and interpretation services are now available either as free of charge or paid service over the internet.

Examples include:

Text to sign language translator English to Sign Language (BSL) Translator (wecapable.com)

Google translate Google Translate

Waste - pharmacy

Anenta Ltd manage the clinical waste services contract for NHS England excluding sharps (please see sharps under S). This means they do not collect waste themselves, but appoint and manage local waste contractors and manage their performance. Anenta are your first point of contact for ALL waste matters.

Pharmacy contractors must register with Anenta Ltd using this short form (you will receive an immediate email confirmation to the address you registered with, then a subsequent email telling  you how to use the service).

More information

    • COVID-19: Dealing with patient-returned / unwanted medicines (England) Joint guidance  for community pharmacies in England. (May 2020) from The National Pharmacy Association (NPA), the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC), Community Pharmacy Patient Safety Group (CP PSG) and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS).
    • Anenta is a waste managing agent, not a waste collector and will help you if you have concerns or complaints about missed collections or require additional collections.
    • Tell Anenta your concerns about your waste collections and they will contact your waste collector – Stericycle or Cannon Hygiene on your behalf.
    • Contact Anenta’s support team on 03301 222 143 or support@anenta.com
    • Needle exchange waste is not part of this contract. This remains as per the service specification in your Public Health County Council area.

Please make sure that you use the correct disposal methods for both medicines and sharps, and do not mix both. Failure to do so could be seen as a breach of your contract with the NHS and/or Duty of Care  Regulations 1991 and/or Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Pharmacy multiples/chains should liaise with company managers/head office before registering with Anenta.

Whistleblowing

If you have a concern about issues that have wider implications for patients, other members of staff, the general public and/or the reputation of community pharmacy. it’s important that you feel able to, and are supported to, raise it appropriately.

PSNC has a briefing about whistleblowing, raising a concern or speaking up. All these terms mean the same thing.

Freedom to speak up guardian 

To support contactors across Surrey and Sussex, Julia Powell, our chief executive officer, has agreed to be the Freedom to Speak up Guardian for independent contractors in the area if they wish.

Go to ‘our A-Z  and look up  ‘F’ for Freedom to speak up guardian to find out more, and for the procedures for contractors wishing to nominate Julia Powell 

For more information

Zero tolerance

Community pharmacies provide specialised advice and treatment on a range of health matters and both the profession and patients should be able to deliver and access these services in a safe and secure environment, without the threat of abuse or violence.

Abuse towards any member of staff should never be tolerated and we should make this clear, as well as raising awareness of the abuse that is directed towards contractors and their staff.

Two sized poster documents have been developed by the NPA Marketing team to support Pharmacy branches. Both carry the NHS logo. Here they are for you to download, print and display  ZERO Tolerance Poster A4    ZERO Tolerance poster A5.

For more information

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