| Weekly News Digest - 6th March 2025 |
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📢 Attention Independent Contractors! 📢
There were four nominations for the upcoming election for the Thames Valley Local Pharmaceutical Committee and as a result, an election will be held to determine the appointed candidate. This is your chance to have a direct impact on the leadership of your Local Pharmaceutical Committee.
- Eligibility: Each NHS pharmacy premises owned in Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, and Oxfordshire will be permitted one vote (i.e., one vote per ODS code), based on the data the LPC holds for elections as of Monday, 10th March 2025.
- Resources: To make an informed decision, please review the key resources: Personal Statements of the Candidates
- Deadline: Please ensure your vote is cast by 12 noon on Friday, 7th March 2025.
Don't miss out on this opportunity to make your voice heard and shape the leadership that represents you.
Cast Your Vote
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BOB ICB PCN Community Pharmacy Leads Teams Meeting – 24 March 2025 The next meeting for BOB ICB PCN Community Pharmacy Leads will take place on Monday, 24 March via MS Teams from 7pm to 8pm. Calendar invites have been sent out by the ICB, but if you have not received it, please contact louise.carlisle@nhs.net at the ICB. The key focus will be the Pharmacy Contraception Service. An agenda will be circulated prior to the meeting. If you have any questions contact Kevin Barnes: cso@cptv.org.uk |
To enhance the security of the NHSmail system, all users are required to replace their current security questions with an NHSmail Account Secret. The NHSmail Account Secret is an additional layer of security, similar to a password, used alongside your NHSmail password to protect your account. The NHSmail Account Secret assists users with technical issues like unlocking an account or resetting a password. See here for more information on how to set up a User Account Secret. |
| Community Pharmacy England urges pharmacy owners to address financial losses caused by dispensing disallowed items on NHS prescriptions, such as appliances or chemical reagents not listed in Part IX of the Drug Tariff or items outside dentists' and community nurse prescribers' formularies. Owners are encouraged to use the Manage Your Service (MYS) portal to review disallowed items, identify unpaid claims, and challenge any errors with the NHSBSA for resolution. Click here for more information on how to check and challenge disallowed items on MYS. |
| If your smartcard or the role on your smartcard was set up a long time ago, you may need to update it to keep it working. For more information and recommendations on how to do this click here. |
| NHS Frimley have announced that from 1st April 2025 there will be one provider of Translation and Interpreting Services for Primary Care across Frimley ICB. The new contract has been awarded to dals (formerly known as DA Languages) following a competitive procurement. See here for more information on the services Dals will be providing together with links to training sessions. |
NHS England has announced that between late February and May 2025, the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) will be fully extended to healthcare services within Detained Estates in England. This phased rollout will enable prison prescribers to issue 'To Take Out' (TTO) and urgent prescriptions electronically to community pharmacies, eliminating the need for paper FP10 forms. Click here. |
| An evaluation of the TARGET antibiotic checklist, implemented in England's community pharmacies through the Pharmacy Quality Scheme (PQS) highlights its role in enhancing antimicrobial stewardship has been published. The checklist helps pharmacy staff provide tailored advice to patients or carers collecting antibiotics. By investing in training and resources, the PQS has equipped pharmacies to improve patient understanding of antibiotic use, symptom recovery, and the issue of antimicrobial resistance. |
Stop For Life Oxon has provided resources to support Oxfordshire residents to embrace a smoke-free life. A No Smoking Day Toolkit with ready-to-use images and copy for social media platforms can be accessed here. |
Read the latest edition of Frimley ICB Prescribing newsletter. |
| Read the latest edition of Healthwatch Bucks newsletter. |
| Read the latest edition of BOB Medicines Optimisation Bulletin for February. |
Read the latest edition of Healthwatch Oxfordshire newsletter.
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Reminder from DHSC - Pharmacy First Service
Attention Pharmacy Contractors - please be reminded that to qualify for the monthly fixed payment, all contractors delivering the Pharmacy First Service must also provide the Contraception Service and Blood Pressure Check Service by 31st March 2025, in addition to meeting the relevant consultation threshold.
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| Please complete this using NHS Profile Manager before deadline 31st March 2025. This is a mandatory requirement for all pharmacy owners. Useful NHS Profile Manager Tutorials are available here. |
| The revised threshold for March is 30 clinical pathway consultations. Please remember that you only have 3 months to submit a claim after consultation, ie for March 2025 the last date is 5th June 2025. Click here. |
Recognition of Excellence Awards 2025The Recognition of Excellence (RoE) Awards continuing to champion the work of community pharmacy staff across the UK are now open for entries. Pharmacy teams from across the UK are encouraged to nominate themselves or colleagues before the closing date 4 April 2025. See here for more information on how to enter. |
CPPE is running an online NHS Pharmacy Contraception service (PCS) - panel discussion on 12th March 2025 from 7pm to 8pm. This webinar is a panel discussion includes representatives from NHSE, CPE and pharmacists delivering the contraception service. To register, click here.
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| You can now view the Data Security and Protection Toolkit workshop webinar on demand. Click here. |
Community Pharmacy England have created video shorts providing guidance on Original Pack Dispensing (OPD) including how and when to apply the new +/-10% rules. See here for more information. |
| The estradot Serious Shortage Protocol (SSP079) has been extended, the new end date is now Friday 21 March. |
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