Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) - News updates


Pharmacy First: Claim window now open for initial £2,000 fixed payment

Pharmacy owners who intend to provide the Pharmacy First service are now able to claim their initial £2,000 fixed payment. All pharmacy owners who want to provide the Pharmacy First service (including those already providing the Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS)) must declare that they agree to the terms and scope of the three elements [...] The post Pharmacy First: Claim window now open for initial £2,000 fixed payment appeared first on Community Pharmacy England.

Committee negotiating asks discussions informed by pharmacy owners at November Meeting

Community Pharmacy England met in London for a full Committee Meeting on 22nd and 23rd November 2023. Committee Members spent time discussing important matters such as the implementation of Pharmacy First and their core asks for the future Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF), informed by sector polling. The packed two-day meeting agenda included action planning [...] The post Committee negotiating asks discussions informed by pharmacy owners at November Meeting appeared first on Community Pharmacy England.

Community Pharmacy England calls for financial support following increase in the National Living Wage  

Community Pharmacy England has today written to the Chancellor to express deep concern about the financial impact of the increase in the National Living Wage (NLW) for 2024.  In last week’s Autumn Statement, the Chancellor announced that the NLW is set to increase from £10.42 to £11.44. We estimate that the additional cost to the [...] The post Community Pharmacy England calls for financial support following increase in the National Living Wage   appeared first on Community Pharmacy England.

Extension to SSP057 Estradot® 100mcg patches

Update 01/12/23 – The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has provided an update on the Serious Shortage Protocol (SSP) for Estradot® 100micrograms/24hours patches (SSP057) was due to expire 1 December 2023 but has been further extended to Friday 8 December 2023. Update 03/11/23 – The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has [...] The post Extension to SSP057 Estradot® 100mcg patches appeared first on Community Pharmacy England.

Pharmacy First PGDs and protocol published

NHS England has published drafts of the 23 Patient Group Directions (PGDs) and one protocol for the Pharmacy First service, which is due to commence at the end of January 2024. This follows the announcement, earlier this week, of the publication of the service specification and the seven clinical pathways for the service. Download the [...] The post Pharmacy First PGDs and protocol published appeared first on Community Pharmacy England.

Hypertension Case-Finding Service: skill mix changes start today

From today (1st December 2023), suitably trained and competent pharmacy staff (pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and other non-registered members of the pharmacy team) can provide the Hypertension Case-Finding Service; previously it could only be provided by a pharmacist or pharmacy technician. This comes alongside the changes to the Pharmacy Contraception Service, which means pharmacists can now [...] The post Hypertension Case-Finding Service: skill mix changes start today appeared first on Community Pharmacy England.

PCS: Initiation of oral contraception can be started from today

From today (1st December 2023), the expansion of the Pharmacy Contraception Service (PCS) comes into force. Pharmacists are now able to initiate oral contraception, as well as continue to provide ongoing management of oral contraception that was initiated in general practice or a sexual health clinic (or equivalent). This comes alongside the changes to the [...] The post PCS: Initiation of oral contraception can be started from today appeared first on Community Pharmacy England.

November 2023 Price Concessions – Final Update

Following discussions between Community Pharmacy England and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) regarding medicine pricing issues reported by pharmacy owners, the Department has today (30/11/2023) announced the following final list of price concessions for November 2023: Please note the following two lines have been revised upwards following mid-month price changes reported by pharmacy owners, [...] The post November 2023 Price Concessions – Final Update appeared first on Community Pharmacy England.

How prescriptions for unlicensed specials should be written

Medicine Supply Notifications or Supply Disruption Alerts, issued by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England (NHSE) sometimes include recommendations for prescribers to consider unlicensed alternatives. These products are not always available on prescribing systems for GPs to select, often due to delays in adding the information on the NHS Dictionary [...] The post How prescriptions for unlicensed specials should be written appeared first on Community Pharmacy England.

MHRA Class 3 Medicines Recall: Fluenz® Tetra nasal spray suspension (AstraZeneca UK Ltd)

Drug alert number: EL (23)A/39 Date issued: 30 November 2023 The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued a class 3 medicines recall for: Fluenz® Tetra nasal spray suspension PLGB 17901/034 SNOMED Code: 27114211000001105 Batch Number Printed Expiry Date Amended Expiry Date Pack Size First Distributed TH2127 28-Dec-23 23-Dec-23 10 sprayers 30-Aug-23 TH2127B [...] The post MHRA Class 3 Medicines Recall: Fluenz® Tetra nasal spray suspension (AstraZeneca UK Ltd) appeared first on Community Pharmacy England.