COVID-19: 6th July round-up for primary care
Alert regarding Cardinal Health Type IIR masks
You may have received an Important Customer Alert about Cardinal Health Type IIR masks on 26 June 2020. Although these masks meet the breathability, filtration and splash resistance requirements of BS EN 14683, in light of ongoing monitoring, further complaints reported and testing from the manufacturer on the masks, the MHRA recommends that all lots of this product are disposed of locally. There is a risk to staff wearing the mask if the foam strip on the mask flakes and enters their airway or mouth. There have also been complaints of the ties and/or stitching coming away from the mask. The product affected is the Type IIR Mask from the supplier Cardinal Health (NPC: BWM028, MPC: AT74535UK, applies to all lots of AT74535UK).
Temporary closures and changes to opening hours
On 30 June 2020 the Department of Health and Social Care announced the extension of emergency provisions until 1 September 2020. This enables pharmacies to apply to NHS England & NHS Improvement to temporarily close or change their opening hours. In the application a contractor must state their reasons for the change; and give at least 24 hours’ notice of the temporary change or closure. Contractors are reminded of the need to update their DoS profile and NHS website entry in the event of a temporary closure or change to opening hours.
The emergency provisions also enable the home delivery of medicines and appliances service during the COVID-19 outbreak until 31 July 2020, as noted in Tuesday’s bulletin (more information can be found here).
Registration renewal requirements for pharmacy professionals
The General Pharmaceutical Council has announced that pharmacy professionals with a registration renewal deadline between 1 September and 31 December 2020 will not be required to submit revalidation records when renewing their registration, in recognition of the challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
This relaxation already applied to professionals with a renewal deadline between 20 March and 31 August 2020. Instead, pharmacy professionals should submit a reflective account when renewing their registrations. For more information please see the GPhC website.
Medicines Use Reviews
Planned changes to the MUR target groups have been delayed until 31 December 2020. 70% of MURs undertaken must be for patients taking high-risk medicines or those that have recently been discharged from hospital. Previously the target group for patients recently discharged from hospital was expected to end at midnight on 30 June 2020.
New Medicines Service
From 1 July 2020, contractors providing the NMS are no longer required to possess an MUR certificate. This is linked to plans to complete the phasing out of MURs by 30 April 2021.