PQS – Registering for the Manage Your Service (MYS) application

Pharmacy contractors in England are reminded to register for the

Manage Your Service (MYS) application in time for the Pharmacy

Quality Scheme (PQS).

The Manage Your Service (MYS) application will be the only

platform for making declarations and claiming for the Pharmacy

Quality Scheme (PQS). Please note the Snap Survey will not be used.

The MYS application will be used for claiming payment for the

Flu Vaccination Service 2019/2020 and notifying readiness for the

implementation of the Community Pharmacist Service Consultation

(CPCS). Registration with the MYS application is also required for

pharmacies claiming aspiration payments during October 2019. You

are reminded to register for MYS through the NHS Business Services

Authority (NHSBSA).

An access authorisation form, available on the NHSBSA website,

must be completed by the business owner, director, or an individual

previously registered with the Information Services Portal. A

pharmacy or an individual can be registered through this form.

Registration typically takes 2-5 working days once the NHSBSA

has received the application. After authorisation, pharmacy staff

will be able to access the MYS portal using a smartcard or individual

NHSmail credentials.

 

How to register

• Access the NHSBSA website and download the MYS Access

Authorisation Form.

• Complete pharmacy details.

• Provide details of all individuals who will have access to the MYS

application within the pharmacy. Specify what level of access is

required (pharmacy level access or management level access); unless

stated, users will only be granted pharmacy level access by default.

• Each individual will receive an email from Microsoft invitations

on behalf of MYS once the application has been approved by

NHSBSA, this typically takes 2-5 working days. The individual

should click the “get started” link within the email to begin the

individual set up process.

 

Pharmacy contractors can email the NHSBSA MYS team (nhsbsa.

mys@nhs.net) for further assistance.

 

Engage with the CPCS

The new national NHS Advanced Service, the Community Pharmacist

Consultation Service (CPCS) will go live from 29 October 2019. We

encourage contractors to engage with, register, and deliver the

CPCS when it goes live via the MYS portal.

 

PGD Practical (face-to-face) Vaccination Training - Book Now

Last few places available at Leicester, Southampton and Belfast on

1st September, Plymouth 8 September, Birmingham 15 September

and St Albans 15 September. Places are available on a first-come,

first-serve basis. Go to https://npa.cb-training.com/

 

Types of vaccination training available

Please note that, although the new requirement for face-to-face

vaccination training is now every three years to provide the NHS flu

service (except Wales and Scotland), all pharmacists must ensure

their competency to administer parenteral vaccinations is assessed

and maintained, especially if they also provide other NHS and/or

private vaccination services.

In the event of a patient safety incident, as part of the incident

investigation, the pharmacist’s vaccination skills competency may

be reviewed. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that each

pharmacist completes a vaccination skills assessment each year to

self-check their competency to provide vaccination services, both

NHS and private.

 

For further advice and support from the pharmacy

services team call 01727 891800 between 9am and 6pm

Monday – Friday, and 9am to 1pm on Saturdays or emails

pharmacyservices@npa.co.uk

 

 

NPA vice-chair Andrew Lane’s take on the contractual framework...

We independents must fully embrace the clinical service agenda which is our

best hope for a change in fortune from our currently precarious situation and the right

thing to do for our patients.

Yet many pharmacies, worn down by funding cuts and escalating costs, are not

in a position to invest in new services that would greatly benefit patients and the NHS.

So let’s be clear that the core funding for England’s pharmacies announced in July

for the next five years is very unlikely to be enough to achieve the transformational

improvements the NHS and pharmacists would like to see.

For some pharmacies, it won’t even be enough to keep the doors open unless other

substantial sources of income can be found.

To ensure the service levels for patients are of the highest standard, the £2.59

billion core funding needs to be a fl oor not a ceiling.

The funding model will be reviewed regularly over the course of the next

five years and the balance between NHS expenditure on dispensing and new services

is likely to shift signifi cantly towards the delivery of services, which is something the

NPA strongly supports.

Fundamentally, the shift to services implied in the new contractual framework

for pharmacies in England presents an opportunity for independent pharmacies,

who can build on the strength of their relationships with patients and

others locally, to deliver high quality, compassionate care and reap the rewards

professionally and commercially.

In contrast, the current system disadvantages independents because

the margin element of funding is not distributed equitably across the sector.

(There is now a public commitment from the PSNC, NHSE and DHSC to achieve

“smoother cash flow and fairer distribution of margin” which could prove to be highly

signifi cant in time).

 

Go to the NPA website to read the rest of Andrew’s message to NPA members.

 

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)

has published its long-awaited green paper on

public health: ‘Advancing our health – prevention in the 2020s.’

With the launch of the green paper, the DHSC is seeking views on proposals

to tackle the causes of preventable ill health in England.

It outlines actions on:

• the environment in which people live.

• the choices people make.

• the services people receive.

 

The government says it intends to:

• Embed genomics in routine healthcare.

• Review the NHS health check and set out

a bold future vision of NHS screening.

• Launch phase one of a ‘predictive

prevention’ (data-driven) work

programme from Public Health England.

 

The NPA briefed the policy team preparing this document, which also talks about

expanding the role of community pharmacists to “support more people in the

community to manage and improve their health and wellbeing.”

It added: “We will commission more services from community pharmacies and support

them to become further integrated into local NHS provider networks.”

The green paper consultation is open until Monday 14th October 2019.

 

For more information, email Helga Mangion at independentsvoice@npa.co.uk

 

The next Ask Your Pharmacist (AYP) Week runs from November 11-18, 2019

AYP Week, the NPA’s flagship public awareness initiative, provides a

platform for pharmacy public awareness activities across the UK.

It also serves as a prompt for conversations with key stakeholders at a

local level about community pharmacy services.

During previous AYP weeks:

• NHS bodies have used social media and

local newspapers to signpost people to

community pharmacy as the first port of

call for common ailments.

• Pharmacies have invited local dignitaries

and politicians to visit for a health check

and learn more about the valuable

services on offer.

• NPA members have displayed window

posters and other campaign materials,

available free of charge from the NPA.

• Pharmacies and local pharmacy

representatives have organised

exhibitions in town halls, shopping

centres and sports venues.

 

More details will be published soon. Any

NPA member or pharmacy stakeholders

wishing to get involved can contact NPA

head of communications Stephen Fishwick

at s.fishwick@npa.co.uk

 

Business rates

We continue to gather members’ views

about the current business tax regime so

we can raise the key issues with offi cials.

Email independentsvoice@npa.co.uk to

talk to our policy manager.

 

 

BUSINESS SUPPORT

NPA members can now purchase all stationery,

managed print services, workwear and workplace

items from Lyreco.

For all stationery and offi ce supplies,Lyreco is the

NPA’s preferred partner, supplying over 10,000 workplace items.

But NPA members can get more than just paper and pens - additional services

from Lyreco now include a confidential shredding service,

a new managed print service and workwear supplies.

The confidential shredding service provides pharmacies

with a cost-effective and secure way of disposing confidential

information.

NPA members can use their Lyreco account to purchase five shredding

bags, which can hold up to 17kg each, for just £19.95 - the equivalent

of less than 24p per kilo.

Craig Cavener, relationship manager at the NPA, said: “Pharmacy teams

find the entire process from ordering to collection a simple process and this

has proven to be cost-effective and GDPR compliant.”

He added: “Pharmacies often have old data and sensitive documentation

to dispose of and have a need to rid of patient related materials daily.

Staff simply drop waste into the bag, secure when filled and

call Lyreco to collect when ready.

It saves the time and money of someone standing there feeding

a shredder and any cost associated with replacement or repair

of the actual shredder too.”

Pharmacies request a collection by Lyreco via phone or online account.

Each bag has a waste transfer note issued and the data is then shredded by

Restore Datashred and a certificate of destruction is issued. The

shredded material is then recycled back into paper products.

For more information visit www.npa.co.uk/pharmacyessentials and

select ‘confidential shredding service.’

Lyreco’s new managed print service provides a bespoke and

simple print solution for any pharmacy or office on a cost per

page or PAYG consumables contract.

Members have total peace of mind with a service and support contract,

including next business day on-site engineer support for a full contract life of three years.

It flexibly offers a choice of Brother devices for all mono/colour, volume and

printing functionality needs.

Following the one-off hardware and install service cost together

with a very small monthly service, support and automation fee,

there are no minimum commitments or any heavy monthly lease

payments – members pay only for what they use.

Lyreco also offer a free no-obligation consultation and audit of

members’ print requirements.

What’s more, Lyreco Print Services can also provide an outsource

print service together with a promotional print service to take care

of anything, from your printed business stationery and marketing

collateral through to branded exhibition materials and promotional items,

from concept to completion.

More details found at http://npa.printservices.lyreco.co.uk/

(NPA member password: npa1921).

New and full pharmacy-related workwear ranges are now available

to NPA members via Lyreco. The workwear website showcases

the most popular designs of pharmacy workwear in a vast

array of uniform styles and colours to meet all requirements.

The garments include, but are not limited to, tunics, dresses, blouses,

tabards, shirts and ties, etc, and are all of an excellent quality.

There is also a personalisation service available on request to fully

brand your workwear with your company logo.

Delivery is free and includes a 28-day returns policy on none branded/

personalised stock. To find out more visit my.workwearexpress.com.

For more information on all of Lyreco’s products and services,

visit www.lyreco.co.uk

If members need a Lyreco account, they should contact their NPA

relationship manager or call member services on 01727 800 402.

 

 

Contract and funding webinar series

The NPA has been organising a series of short funding-related

webinars in a bid to help members get to grips with their

community pharmacy funding and contract knowledge.

Hosted by Harpreet Chana, NPA’s digital programme director,

(former head of funding strategy at PSNC) and Garry Myers, a PSNC

negotiating team member, the aim is to deliver complex funding

information from a contractor’s perspective.

The monthly webinars, which began in March and are set to finish

by the end of this year, focus on presenting the hosts’ collective

knowledge of community pharmacy funding in a practical way that

can be applied to businesses and help prepare NPA members for any

potential changes to the contract.

Each webinar takes place monthly and is usually on a Tuesday

from 7.30-8.30pm. Harpreet urges all NPA members to watch the

webinars.

“They’re relatively short, only 30 minutes in length with some

time for questions at the end, and they were done that way

purposefully as the lunchtime learning series,” she said.

The differing topics also mean that people can pick and choose

which webinars they want to watch. The NPA is also producing

a series of short videos and some graphics on key principles to

complement the webinars.

Harpreet said: “If you’ve got people locally making prescribing

decisions but who don’t fully understand community pharmacy

funding, rather than sending them a 40-minute webinar, you can

simply forward them a link to the video and graphic that explains

why what they’re doing isn’t saving them money.

“Then, if they want to know more, they have the option of

watching the 45-minute webinars. We want to try and improve the

understanding of the community pharmacy contract and funding

across healthcare to help improve things for members and to help

them understand why they’re not making margin and how they can

change things within their business.”

To register go to www.npa.co.uk/FundingWebinars

Previous webinars can be viewed by going to

www.npa.co.uk/newsand-events/past-events/

 

 

Six-step employment law on how to handle

workplace grievances

Handling employee grievances quickly

and effi ciently is key to maintaining positive working relationships,

preventing small issues from escalating into bigger problems and avoiding

employment tribunal claims.

 

1. Try to resolve the issue informally

Employees should raise complaints with their

line manager, who should attempt to resolve

the grievance through informal means

first. In many cases, issues can be resolved

quickly and effi ciently by talking through

the problem without resorting to formal

procedures.

 

2. If the issue can’t be dealt with

informally...

If informal means are inappropriate or

ineffective, the employee should submit

a written complaint which will trigger a

formal procedure. They should provide as

much information as they can about their

grievance so that it can be investigated

thoroughly.

 

3. Arrange a grievance hearing

This is an opportunity to explore the

complaint or, in more complex cases, narrow

down the issues into something more

manageable. The hearing should be carried

out by a manager who has no involvement

in the case.

When preparing the hearing, consider:

• Whether reasonable adjustments are

needed for employees with disabilities.

• Appointing somebody with no

involvement in the case to take notes.

• How similar grievances have been dealt

with in the past.

 

Invite the employee to the hearing in

writing, informing them of their right to

be accompanied by a colleague or a trade

union representative.

 

4. Hold the hearing and carry out

an investigation

At the hearing, the employee should be

given the opportunity to fully explain their

grievance and how they wish the matter

to be resolved. The manager chairing the

hearing must then consider whether the

matter can be resolved immediately or

whether an investigation is necessary to

establish all the relevant facts. This may

include talking to all parties involved,

interviewing witnesses, acquiring documents

and gathering evidence.

 

5. Decide what action to take

The action you decide to take will depend

on the nature of the grievance and the

outcome of your investigation. If the

grievance is upheld, the next step may be

to amend the employee’s employment

terms, move them to another department or

team or take disciplinary action against the

perpetrator of the misconduct.

Your decision on the grievance must

be communicated to the complainant in

writing, giving as much detail as possible

to support your conclusions. The employee

then has the right to appeal.

 

6. Manage the appeal

If the employee appeals, you will need

to arrange an appeal hearing to

explore their grounds of appeal and

consider each in turn. This should be

conducted by a member of the senior

management team, ideally somebody

with no prior involvement in the case.

Afterwards, it may be necessary to

investigate some additional points if

there are elements you cannot confi rm

or questions you cannot answer based

on the evidence gathered.

The decision of the appeal must be

confi rmed in writing to the employee.

The outcome of any appeal will be final.

 

Experienced and independent support

Employee grievances may or may

not be justified, but it’s important

that they are thoroughly investigated

and dealt with in a fair and strategic

manner. For professional support,

contact the NPA employment advisory

service on 0330 123 0558 or email

employmentadvice@npa.co.uk

 

TRAINING AND SUPPORT

Medicines in care homes

Pharmacists are best placed to provide care home staff with

the knowledge they need on medicines usage, says Sureena

Sharma, the NPA’s learning and development pharmacist.

The NPA’s ‘medicines in care homes’ pack has been designed to

assist pharmacists providing training to care home staff.

Sureena says it is “vital” that those who work in a care home

understand what care patients need, the complexities in their health

and how these should be managed.

“Pharmacists are best placed to provide this teaching as they have

the knowledge required on medicines usage and will be dispensing

the patient’s medication, ensuring the medicines are appropriate for

the resident,” she said.

The training can be used as an introduction to medicines for new

care home staff or as a refresher for existing care home staff.

Sureena added: “The pharmacist may already have an established

relationship with the patient or their family. The training provides

those who are in a care home with knowledge on various topics,

including medicine usage, administrating and monitoring medicines

and supporting residents.”

Care home staff may also find that some of the training

undertaken during the sessions can contribute towards their

portfolio of evidence for the qualifi cations they may be undertaking

to work in a care home.

 

Course delivery

The pack consists of a pharmacist manual to enable pharmacists to

deliver the training, six workbooks and six certifi cates (issued to care

home staff upon completion of the training course). Each workbook

is divided into fi ve sessions that consist of various activities (to

consolidate learning) and multiple choice questions at the end of

each module.

The five sessions can be delivered in a flexible manner to suit the

requirements of the care home and cover the following:

• Session 1 - Introduction to medicines and their use.

• Session 2 - Administration of medicines.

• Session 3 - Managing medicines.

• Session 4 - Monitoring residents and supporting medicines use.

• Session 5 - Elderly health.

 

Sureena said: “The manual offers useful advice. For example, it

contains a check-list prior to training. There are references to further

information to aid the training and it gives examples of types of

teaching activities that foster deeper learning. It instils confi dence

into the pharmacist as it breaks down for them exactly what they

need to teach the care home staff.”

 

Visit www.npa.co.uk/training/medicines-in-care-homes/

or email training@npa.co.uk

 

Your questions answered

Pharmacists Andre Yeung and Mike Maguire, who

developed and delivered the original NHS 111 referral

service in the North East of England, answer questions

from NPA members following a webinar on the NHS

community pharmacist consultation service (CPCS)

– which replaces the local pilots of the digital minor

illness referral service (DMIRS).

Go to www.npa.co.uk/news-and-events/past-events/

to watch the webinar.

 

Just to clarify - the service is still initiated by NHS111?

Can the community pharmacy not initiate the service

themselves?

This service is for patients referred by NHS 111 only.

The purpose is to prevent inappropriate referrals

to other urgent care settings and to send patients to the

right place according to their symptoms/condition - in this

case community pharmacy. In effect, we will be paid for

supporting those patients who don’t currently think of

using community pharmacy, so pharmacies will potentially

be gaining new patients.

 

When there are referrals from the pharmacy to the

GP, is it a ‘fast track’ referral (helping the patient see

the doctor sooner than they would if they had tried to get

a GP appointment via the GP practice manager)?

The principle of this service is to enable community

pharmacy to act as the front door to the NHS by

assessing patients and ensuring that only the patients who

need to see a GP get an appointment. This will depend

on local relationships that pharmacists have with their GP

practices to ensure that referrals from the pharmacy to the

GP practice happen promptly and smoothly. Therefore, it is

important to build and maintain great relationships with

your local GP practices.

 

How many consultations per pharmacy per day are

expected on average? 

This depends upon a number of factors, for example

local demand. In the North East of England, most

referrals from NHS 111 happen outside normal working

hours. However, sometimes patients attend the pharmacy

the next morning if the pharmacy was closed at the time

of the referral, so consultations are not necessarily always

provided out of hours.

 

Some patients cannot afford to buy OTC medicines.

Will the NHS provide funding? 

This will depend on local commissioning arrangements.

Some areas have a minor ailments service which has

been commissioned locally. The NPA will continue to lobby

for a national minor ailments service in England.

 

What implications will this have on professional

indemnity insurance? 

The professional indemnity insurance cover that NPA

Insurance Ltd provides to its members and customers

is designed to cover them (and their staff) for breach of

professional duty when they are acting in the capacity of

an owner of a community pharmacy business.

Unlike most commercial policies, the cover is very wide to

accommodate such activities and includes dispensing and

other NHS services which they are contracted to provide.

In particular, the CPCS, which is to take effect from October

2019 as an advanced service, is included within the scope

of cover.

It is understood that the CPCS will develop over the next

fi ve years but, initially in 2019/20, community pharmacists

will take referrals from NHS 111 for minor illness and

urgent medicine supply.

As an indemnity insurer we will continue to assess and

evaluate the risks of the CPCS as it develops and monitor

claims (and the potential for claims) which may ultimately

impact on the premiums that members and customers pay.

However, members and customers can participate in the

service secure in the knowledge that they, the pharmacists

and staff they employ or engage to assist in service

facilitation, will be fully indemnifi ed against liability to pay

damages and costs should the need arise, providing they

have exercised the appropriate levels of care through the

execution of their duties.

 

Resources for mandated public health campaigns for

September and October

NHS England, NHS Improvement and

the PSNC have agreed the six public

health campaign topics nationally for

2019/20.

The two forthcoming campaigns are

on antimicrobial resistance in September

and Stoptober (tobacco) in October.

Public Health England (PHE) will deliver resources

for the campaigns to all community

pharmacies in England.

If pharmacies have not received their pack

by 27 August, PHE advises NPA members

to check with their colleagues if someone

else has signed for it. If not, send an email

to partnerships@phe.gov.uk stating the

pharmacy’s name, address, postcode and

name of the campaign(s) they’ve not

received materials for.

Social media and digital resources for

these campaigns will be available from PHE’s

campaign resource centre closer to their

launch and can be used to support

the campaign.

Pharmacies will also receive resources

to use with members of the public on

productive healthy ageing and physical

activity. The packs include:

 

Resources to support the

publication of ‘A Menu of

Interventions for Productive

Healthy Ageing.’

Community pharmacies will receive a set

of cards that can be used when talking to

older people about healthy ageing.

This follows on from the PHE publication

‘A Menu of Interventions for Productive

Healthy Ageing’ for pharmacy teams. The

cards are an easy-to-use resource that

pharmacy teams can use in their everyday

interactions with older people to support

them to lead more independent lives and

improve their quality of life.

The resources provide opportunistic,

evidence-based interventions that can help

provide benefi ts for healthy ageing.

The content covers falls reduction,

dementia, social isolation and loneliness,

mental health, physical activity and

malnutrition.

 

Sport England’s physical activity

campaign resources

The UK’s leading health and social care

charities and Sport England, supported

by PHE, have developed a new campaign

called ‘We Are Undefeatable’ to inspire

and support people with health conditions

to get active. Launching on 2 September,

the campaign will aim to change the

misconception that those of us with long-term

conditions cannot be active.

It will include TV, radio and internet advertising and

encourage people to visit www.weareundefeatable.co.uk

and social channels for inspiration, reassurance and

support on how to get more active.

An activation guide will be included in the pack with further

information on the campaign.

Social media and digital resources for these campaigns will

be available on the PHE campaign resource centre and can be used to

support the campaign.