National & Local News Update


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Newsletter

09/01/2025

This newsletter is sent on Thursdays and contains useful information for community pharmacy contractors, managers and team members across Norfolk & Suffolk.

In this update:

Integration Project Updates

- Survey and feedback results

- Upcoming Discharge Medicine Service Webinar

Pharmacy First Thresholds and Resources

Original Pack Dispensing

NHSE WT&E Change to Multi-sector Requirements

Recent Press

Health Promotion

CPE & Other Links

Pharmacy Integration Project Update

Below you will find further information and updates in regards to the Pharmacy Integration project, with results from the surveys and feedback CPNS gathered late last year, along with upcoming support for DMS.

Summary Of Feedback

Thank you all for the engagement and feedback we have received. All of the information has been collated and reviewed and can be seen here along with key priorities your CPNS team will be working on in the next few months.

Discharge Medicine Service Webinar

For all Pharmacy Teams

Wednesday 29th January 2025

7.30pm - 8.30pm

Full information and booking link can be found here.

As part of the Community Pharmacy integration project we will be reviewing referrals and supporting pharmacies in accepting and completing these in a timely manner. This will initially be by fortnightly email reminders, however we would remind contractors that this is an essential service. We highly recommend anyone who is not familiar with DMS or would benefit from a refresh considers attending our DMS webinar as detailed above on the right.

Pharmacy First Thresholds

Amendments have been made on three occasions to limit the increase in the minimum monthly threshold for the monthly Pharmacy First payment, the most recent being to amend the thresholds across the rest of 2024/25 in light of the concerns raised by CPE.

New Pharmacy First caps will be introduced from January 2025; these caps are based on the monthly average of Pharmacy First (clinical pathways) delivered during August 2024 to October 2024.

A list of pharmacy owners, their assigned Band and monthly cap can be found on the NHS Business Services Authority’s (NHSBSA) website.

Learn more

Pharmacy First Resources

Easy to download key materials to support promoting the Pharmacy First service can be found on our website page here.

CPE have also produced the fifth myth busting article and have additional support on myth busting for Pharmacy First here.

Original Pack Dispensing

Original Pack Dispensing (OPD) +/- 10% dispensing has been introduced for NHS prescriptions from January 2025. Amendments to the pharmacy regulations will require the supervising pharmacist to consider dispensing up to 10% more or less than the prescribed quantity when appropriate, allowing pharmacists the flexibility to supply medicines in the manufacturer's original pack. It is expected that pharmacy owners will start to introduce the change from 1st January 2025, depending on their IT system readiness. You will not be reimbursed for dispensing up to 10% more or less than the quantity prescribed until your IT system is ready (and able to communicate the dispensed quantity information to the NHSBSA in the EREM)

CPE in-house experts have developed the resources below to support pharmacy teams to implement the upcoming changes:

OPD FAQ briefing

OPD webinar recording

NHSE WT&E Change to Multi-sector Requirements

Following the publication of the General Pharmaceutical Council’s Standards for Initial Education and Training of Pharmacists (2021), NHS England mandated that multi-sector rotations would be be required for all trainees starting in the 2026/27 training year.

NHSE WT&E have advised that mandatory rotations will be phased and no longer a requirement for the 2025/26 cohort. Instead the aim will be to fully implement multi-sector trainee placements from 2027/28.

Please read NHS England's letter announcing the change here.

Recent Press

Please see below a list of recent press engagement:

Pharmaceutical Journal article - Local pharmaceutical committee awarded £60k contract to improve referral rates to pharmacies

BBC Radio Norfolk - interview with Guppy Kular,pharmacist and owner of Motts Pharmacy in Reepham, Norfolk on 17.12.2024. Listen back from 1 hour and 40 minutes in.

Health Promotion

The details of non-mandatory campaigns and resources to support heath promotion this new year can be found below. Don’t forget to keep evidence of supporting campaigns for your HLP portfolio.

New Year 2025 Quit Smoking

New Year quit smoking campaign resources are now available to download from the Campaign Resource Centre. These can be used until the end of January to capitalise on the New Year moment which we know is an effective time to encourage and support quit smoking attempts,

Resources can be found here.

If you wish to sign-up to local stop smoking services please see the Local Services section on our website and select the page for your area, alternately please email info@cpns.org.uk.

Dry January Campaign

The Dry January® challenge supports people across the country to change their relationship with alcohol through stopping drinking for one month using Alcohol Change UK's tools and resources.

Resources can be found here.