In this update: Welcome, Community Pharmacy Thames Valley Podcasts, LPC Spotlight, Communications |
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| Welcome to the Community Pharmacy Thames Valley Newsletter |
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Community Pharmacy Thames Valley Academy |
Now the dust has settled on the negotiation of our Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (until March 26!), the LPC committee has been working on ways in which the LPC team can support Pharmacy teams across the patch to help them deliver all the main services over the coming months. The result of which is the launch of the CPTV “Pharmacy Academy”. This is a multi- channel launch of training aids – including a suite of AI Generated Podcasts, online Webinars, face to face training and an all-day Women’s Health Event.
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With the help of Clare Holland, a very experienced Community Pharmacist – we are putting together a series on monthly online webinars offering clinical training on Contraception, Hypertension, NMS, and Emergency Contraception. The first one is on Thursday, 26th June at 7:30pm. Please use the meeting link to join. |
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The Podcasts have been published to Apple, Spotify and YouTube and - only using "verified" sources we have produced a series 10-20 min discussions on many topics, such as Pharmacy First, PGD's for Shingles and UTI, how Pharmacy margins work, Supply chain, GP Connect etc. Check out all three feeds below for updates over the coming weeks. |
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Pharmacy Academy Conference |
Finally, we are planning an educational event on Sunday covering all aspects of Women's Health. We really want to bring together experts and stakeholders into the room with Community Pharmacy and ensure that we build our networks across all aspects, including Sexual Health, Contraception, HRT, UTI etc. Watch this space for more details. I hope you can attend all or some of the events we have planned and are keen to hear from anyone working in Pharmacy across the Thames Valley on anything we can do to support you in the delivery of the NHS services. |
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The Pharmacy First bundling requirement is a new policy that took effect on 1st June 2025. Under this requirement, pharmacy owners must be registered and able to deliver the Hypertension Case Finding Service (HCFS), the Pharmacy Contraception Service (PCS), and the Pharmacy First service to qualify for a monthly fixed payment. |
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Additionally, pharmacies must meet a minimum number of clinical pathway consultations to receive payments:
• £500 for 20-29 consultations per month.
• £1,000 for 30 or more consultations per month.
Further changes are coming later in 2025/26:
• From October 2025, pharmacies must provide at least one Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM) consultation per month.
• From March 2026, pharmacies must meet a specified number of PCS consultations, including oral Emergency Contraception consultations.
Over 99% of community pharmacies across Thames Valley have signed up to all 3 services. Over the coming months, the challenge will be get all your processes in place along with staff training so that the pharmacy can maximise all opportunities.
The table below highlights the performance of pharmacies for February 2025 and measured against the new targets.
| Clinical Pathways achieved for February using new targets | Number of Pharmacies | | Achieved £1000 target | 32.7% | | Achieved £500 target | 28.1% | | Less than 10 consultations from £500 target | 16.0% | | Missed target by greater than 10 consultations | 16.4% | | Pharmacies that have opted out, did not claim, or change of ownership | 6.8% |
The disappointment when viewing this data is:
• The number of pharmacies that are less than 10 clinical pathways for achieving the target. Some daily / weekly focus would improve the results.
• 8 pharmacies that did not include clinical pathways in their month end return for February.
Pharmacies only have 30 days to claim any outstanding payments. |
We’re delighted to welcome Clare Holland to the Community Pharmacy Thames Valley Academy. Clare’s deep commitment to patient-centred care and her breadth of experience across sectors bring invaluable insight to our work. We’re excited to collaborate with her to further strengthen the role of pharmacy across our region and drive forward innovative, integrated approaches that benefit both professionals and the communities we serve. |
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| Clare is a forward-thinking pharmacist, with a pharmacy career spanning community leadership, and primary care, she brings a wealth of experience to improving patient health outcomes. As a practice-based pharmacist in a GP surgery in Buckinghamshire, she uses her clinical skills to enhance care through innovative, patient-centred apporaches. With roots in Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands and senior experence across national pharmacy chains, Clare brings both frontline knowledge and system-level perspective. Her passion lies in working closeley with patients and colleagues and embracing new ways in which pharmacists can make a difference in healthcare. |
Healthwatch Oxfordshire has published a report summarising all the feedback it received about pharmacy services in the county between April 2024 and March 2025. The report includes comments about pharmacies from more than 100 people received by phone, email, face-to-face outreach, and via research, Enter and View visits, online feedback centre and via paper ‘Have your say’ forms. The report was compiled to help bring insight into the Oxfordshire Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment, which is being updated for 2025. The Healthwatch Oxfordshire report can be read on its website here. People can leave a review of their experience of using an Oxfordshire pharmacy on Healthwatch Oxfordshire’s website here. |
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Oxfordshire Pharmacy Take Home Naloxone Service Public Health Oxfordshire County Council, in collaboration with Community Pharmacy Thames Valley and Turning Point, recently conducted a Take Home Naloxone online learning event for Oxfordshire pharmacy professionals. The purpose of the event was to raise awareness of the increasing threat of Nitazenes, provide training on the importance and use of Naloxone in reducing opioid-related deaths, and introduce the new Oxfordshire Pharmacy Take Home Naloxone service
Oxfordshire community pharmacies that wish to sign up to deliver the Oxfordshire Pharmacy Take Home Naloxone service can contact Ify.Enemuo@Oxfordshire.gov.uk. |
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Tellmi – Mental Health Peer Support App for 11-18 year olds Oxfordshire Oxfordshire County Council have commissioned Tellmi, an evidence-based mental health service, offering digital pre-moderated peer support. It gives young people aged 11-18 a safe and anonymous place to talk about their feelings, get support and receive counselling, if needed. By working with local mental health support systems and school mental health teams, Tellmi aims to improve access to advice and support across the county. High-risk users are connected to counsellors for 1:1 support. The Tellmi Directory offers direct links to crisis and specialist support services, along with over 700 vetted tools and resources for managing mental health. More information is available at https://www.tellmi.help/ or by contacting sharmaine@tellmi.help |
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The Frimley Foundation Trust Hospital on-call pharmacy team have highlighted the need to further support awareness among some community pharmacies regarding ordering fidaxomicin 200mg tablets and fidaxomicin 40mg/ml granules for oral suspension. See table below: |
| Product | Pack size | PIP Code | NHS price (£) | | Fidaxomicin 200mg film-coated tablets | 20 | 3709375 | £1,350 | | Fidaxomicin 40 mg/ml granules for oral suspension | 1 | 4214284 | £1,350 |
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See here for more information |
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We run a Signal Group for CPTV pharmacy contractors, team members and locums that is useful for quick queries and support, sharing ideas and finding medicines in short supply. To be added to the group you need to install the Signal app first, then send your name, pharmacy and the mobile number that you signed up with to office@cptv.org.uk. Please note we don’t allow advertising in any form (including job vacancies, locum requests or any other business activity). |
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Mailing List Join our mailing list to receive our weekly News Digest (circulated each Thursday) by signing up on the front page of our website (www.cptv.org.uk) or emailing your name, pharmacy and email address to Lorna on: office@cptv.org.uk.
Contact Us We are here to support all CPTV contractors and pharmacy teams. If there is anything we can help with, please don’t hesitate to contact us: David Dean, Chief Officer – 07702 209197 chiefofficer@cptv.org.uk Kevin Barnes, Contractor Support Officer –07777 671596 cso@cptv.org.uk Lorna Girling, Engagement Officer – 07702 683277 office@cptv.org.uk |
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