COVID-19: 30th April round-up for primary care
Yesterday Simon Stevens, NHS Chief Executive and Amanda Pritchard, NHS Chief Operating Officer published a letter outlining the second phase of NHS response to COVID-19. Please do take time to read this letter and we will be in touch in the coming days with what this means in practice for primary and community care.
In response to additional demand for end of life medicines, a guide to medicines reuse for care homes and hospices has been published, which will help to ensure people get the medicines they require in their hour of need. The new guidance, published by DHSC, supports care home and hospice providers and offers a framework to run a safe and effective medicines reuse scheme that is in the best interest of patients.
CCGs have also been asked to work with providers to establish local hubs to ensure rapid access to end of life medicines for patients. These hubs could be community pharmacy, GP practice, community hospital, acute or other settings where palliative medicines (including controlled drugs) can be safely and legally stored and rapidly released when needed.
HEE Pharmacy Student COVID-19 Deployment Survey - Now live
Further to the joint COVID-19 guidance issued on 9th April, to support the safe and effective deployment of pharmacy students within pharmacy settings, the HEE Pharmacy Student COVID-19 Deployment Survey is now live and can be accessed on the Health Education England Pharmacy COVID-19 website. The direct link for the survey is here.
This new tool is intended for students who wish to be deployed to support the pharmacy workforce in England.
Opportunities to work in the Pharmacy Clinical Assessment Service
The Pharmacy Clinical Assessment Service (PharmCAS) is now running 08.00 to 20.00 seven days a week. Pharmacists from a range of backgrounds are coming forward to work in the service including through the NHS England website returners route. Returning Pharmacists and those who are already on the GPhC register with experience of telephone clinical assessment or front-line urgent care and wish to provide some sessions working in the PharmCAS are invited to register an interest through the returners route and requested to specifically state that they wish to work remotely supporting NHS 111 through the PharmCAS.
COVID-19: 2nd May round-up for primary care
8 May Bank Holiday Opening
Last Friday’s bulletin described an outline expectation for opening on the Early May Bank Holiday. We can now confirm our position.
- GP Practices may need to open as part of providing appropriate access on 8 May; any decision not to open must be agreed with their CCG in advance on the basis of the service and level of staff cover required. Network level cover may be agreed as an alternative in view of anticipated demand. We expect the level of demand to be lower than over Easter. Reimbursement of staff costs will be at the same rates as Easter – see financial arrangements below.
- Planned bank holiday cover (OOH/IUC/EA) to be adjusted as needed in response to GP practice opening and in view of demand.
- We are requiring all community pharmacies in England to open 2-5pm with exceptions or a variation to those hours, based on the likely demand and local needs, agreed in advance with the NHSE/I regional team. These three hours will be remunerated at a rate of £250/hour.Further information will follow regarding how to claim.
- Planned community pharmacy and urgent dental care bank holiday cover to proceed unless otherwise agreed with NHSEI regional team.
- All opening arrangements and any exceptions to be settled on by Thursday 7 May and the NHS Directory of Services updated accordingly.
Amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations (MDR) 2001 Regulations
Amendments to the MDR 2001 Regulations were laid on 29 April. These enable the Secretary of State to make an announcement at a time of pandemic that would then, following that announcement, permit the following for NHS services:
- The supply of schedule 2 and 3 CDs under a Serious Shortage Protocol (HMR Regulation 226A).
- The emergency supply of Schedule 2 and 3 CDs during a pandemic (HMR Regulation 226).
- The ability of a pharmacist to change the interval on an instalment prescription in consultation with the prescriber (HMR Regulation 15).
There is no change in practice until the flexibility introduced by the legislation is activated by an announcement from the Department of Health and Social Care.
Market Entry
Further to the statement on suspension of market entry activity in the letter from Keith Ridge and Ed Waller dated 31 March 2020, NHS England and Improvement and Primary Care Support England (PCSE) are working to progress applications where there is a pressing reason for doing so. PCSE has contacted applicants to advise them on what to do if they wish to ask for their application to be progressed. Where a decision has been made and notified to the applicant and interested parties then the usual timescales apply. For more information please see the PSNC website.
