CPCF services and Terms of Service – Important dates

Announcement that Community Pharmacy England had reached agreement with Government and the NHS on the launch of a new national Pharmacy First service as well as other changes to pharmacy funding and services.

Action: Read the joint letter and associated Community Pharmacy England resources to understand what changes are being made.

Hypertension Case-Finding Service: Updated service specification was published; changes to the service came into force on 1st December 2023.

Action: If providing the service or if you want to participate in this service, read the updated service specification and updated Community Pharmacy England resources to understand what changes are being made and what actions you need to take.

PCS: Updated service specification and Patient Group Directions (PGDs) were published; changes to the service came into force on 1st December 2023.

Action: If providing the service or if you want to participate in this service, read the updated service specification, PGDs and updated Community Pharmacy England resources to understand what changes are being made and what actions you need to take.

Pharmacy First: Service specification and clinical pathways were published.

Action: Read the service specification, clinical pathways and information on our Pharmacy First webpage to help you decide if you want to participate in this service.

LFD service: Pharmacy owners who have signed-up to provide the LFD service, were reminded of the need to update NHS Profile Manager to indicate that they are providing the service.

Action: If offering the service, and not already done so, add the LFD service to your pharmacy profile on the NHS website using NHS Profile Manager.

Pharmacy First: A recorded version of the Community Pharmacy England Pharmacy First and the Recovery Plan agreement webinar was published.

Action: If you missed the live webinar, watch the recorded version of the webinar to hear a summary of the agreement, including how the deal was reached and its importance for the future of the sector.

PCS: Deadline to sign-up for the Tier 1 (ongoing supply and management of oral contraception) service.

Pharmacy owners who did not sign up to provide the service by this date, will need to provide the full, expanded service (i.e. initiation and repeat supplies) from the time they decide to register for the service.

Hypertension Case-Finding Service: Suitably trained and competent pharmacy staff (pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and other non-registered members of the pharmacy team) can now provide the service. Previously it could only be provided by a pharmacist or pharmacy technician.

Action: When time allows, pharmacy owners who are currently providing the service or any planning to provide the service, will need to consider the role of different staff within the provision of the service, including how the pharmacist will be involved and how they will provide clinical supervision of the service.

NMS: NHS approved IT systems for recording NMS consultations and sharing data with NHSBSA are now live.

Action: No action is currently required; pharmacy owners can choose to use one of these systems or continue with their current system.

PCS: ‘Opt-in’ or ‘opt-out’ declaration window opened on the NHSBSA Manage Your Service (MYS) portal.

All pharmacy owners registered to provide PCS before 1st December 2023

Action: Between 1st December 2023 and 11:59pm on 29th February 2024, pharmacy owners who:

• Are ready to provide initiation as part of the expanded PCS need to ‘opt-in’ by completing their MYS declaration to declare that they agree to the terms and scope of the expanded service;
• Require more time to get ready for the expanded service can continue to solely provide ongoing oral contraception up until 29th February 2024; or
• No longer want to provide PCS or do not want to provide the expanded PCS need to ‘opt-out’ by completing their MYS declaration to confirm they want to de-register from the service.

Pharmacy owners ‘opting out’ of the service must provide 30 days’ notice and continue to provide the service for that period or up to 29th February 2024 if less than 30 days’ notice is given.

Pharmacy First: Draft PGDs and protocol were published.

Action: Read the PGDs and protocol and information on our Pharmacy First webpage to help you decide if you want to participate in this service.

Pharmacy First: MYS portal opened to allow pharmacy owners to declare that they agree to the terms and scope of the three elements of the Pharmacy First service and therefore claim the initial fixed payment of £2,000.

Action: Pharmacy owners who have decided that they want to offer the service should declare that they agree to the terms and scope of the three elements of the Pharmacy First service (NHS Referrals for Minor Illness, Urgent Medicine Supply and the Clinical Pathway Consultations) on the NHSBSA MYS portal.

The deadline for making this declaration is 11.59pm on 30th January 2024; however pharmacy owners who register by 11.59pm on 31st December 2023 will receive the payment on 1st February 2024 (those who register after this date but by 11.59pm on 30th January 2024, will receive the payment on 1st March 2024 instead).

PCS: Community Pharmacy England webinar was held which aimed to help pharmacy teams who are already providing the service to expand their offering to include initiating contraception.

Action: If you are providing the PCS watch the recorded webinar if you did not join the live webinar.

PCS: A new service finder, on the NHS website, was made available which lets members of the public and healthcare professionals search for a pharmacy that offers the contraceptive pill without a prescription as part of the PCS.

Action: If you are providing PCS, and have not already done so, add the PCS to your pharmacy profile on the NHS website using NHS Profile Manager.

Pharmacy First: A pharmacy owner checklist and a pharmacist checklist, as well as an initial briefing for pharmacy teams were published on the Community Pharmacy England website to assist pharmacy owners and their teams to start to prepare for the service.

Action: If you are intending to provide the service, view the new resources and share these with members of your team so you can all start to prepare for the service.

LFD service: Announcement that the NHSBSA Provider Assurance Team will soon start to undertake provider assurance work with pharmacy owners providing the LFD service.

Action: If you are providing the LFD service, read the news story so you are aware of the process that the NHSBSA will follow.

Pharmacy First: Community Pharmacy England webinar which intends to provide the initial launch information for the Pharmacy First service, outlining the core details and how the service will work.

Action: If you are planning on providing the Pharmacy First service watch the recorded webinar if you did not join the live webinar.

COVID-19 vacs: Last day for national booking service (NBS) booked appointments for COVID-19 and NHS flu vaccinations.

Action: Pharmacy owners should not post NBS clinics after this date as it will be closed to bookings on 15th December 2023. The system will remain open for cancellations only on this day.

ToS: Deadline to complete the full CPAF questionnaire if requested to do so (pharmacies may have been selected for the full CPAF questionnaire if, for example, they did not complete the screening questions or if there were concerns about the pharmacy relating to patient safety).

Action: If you have been requested to complete the full CPAF questionnaire and have not done so, do this by the end of the day.

ToS: Deadline to complete the 2023 Workforce survey.

This is a mandatory requirement for all pharmacy owners.

Action: If you have not completed the 2023 Workforce survey, complete this by the end of the day.

Pharmacy First: Reminder published about the NHS England funded clinical examination training plus otoscope training webinar for community pharmacists.

Action: Read about the clinical examination training to see if this is suitable for you or any of your team and book to attend the otoscope webinar.

Pharmacy First: Final PGDs and protocol were published.

Action: Read the PGDs and protocol and information on our Pharmacy First webpage to help you decide if you want to participate in this service.

ToS: Deadline for verifying and, where necessary, updating the information contained in a pharmacy’s NHS website profile and their DoS profile for the 1st October to 31st December 2023 quarter of the financial year.

This is a mandatory requirement for all pharmacy owners.

Action: If you have not updated your NHS website profile and your DoS profile using NHS Profile Manager, complete this by the end of the day.

Pharmacy First: Deadline for pharmacy owners to declare that they agree to the terms and scope of the three elements of the Pharmacy First service and therefore claim the £2,000 initial fixed payment, if they want to receive the payment on 1st February 2024.

Action: If you are intending to provide the service, and want to receive the payment on 1st February 2024, complete the declaration by the end of the day.

ToS: Pharmacy owners are required to verify and, where necessary, update the information contained in their NHS website profile and their DoS profile at least once each quarter of the financial year. The new quarter starts on 1st January and ends on 31st March 2024.

This is a mandatory requirement for all pharmacy owners.

Actions:

• Register for NHS Profile Manager with your personal NHSmail address if you haven’t already; and
• Once registered, update your NHS Profile Manager pharmacy profile; for each profile check that the pharmacy’s opening times, contact information and services information are up to date or verify this information if it is correct (even if no changes have been made during the financial quarter, pharmacy owners must still verify this information using NHS Profile Manager as this creates a record which will act as evidence to NHS England that these actions have been undertaken).

Hypertension Case-Finding Service: Community Pharmacy England webinar aimed at helping pharmacy teams who are already providing the service to review the way they provide it, including making greater use of the whole pharmacy team within its provision.

Action: If you are providing the service watch the recorded webinar if you did not join the live webinar.

PCS: Community Pharmacy England webinar aimed at helping pharmacy teams who have not yet started to provide the service to get ready to offer it to their patients.

Action: If you are not currently providing this service but are interested in doing so, watch the recorded webinar if you did not join the live webinar.

Pharmacy First: Community Pharmacy England webinar which will focus on how to get ready to launch the service, building on the content of the December webinar and providing further practical information.

Bookings are now full

Action: If you are intending to provide the service watch the recorded webinar if you did not join the live webinar.

Pharmacy First: NHS England funded webinar by Cliniskills on otoscope training.

Action: If you are intending to provide the Pharmacy First service, and require training on using an otoscope, book to attend the webinar.

Pharmacy First: Community Pharmacy England resources are published to promote the service.

Action: Review the resources and decide if you will use these to promote the service when it goes live on 31st Janaury 2023.

Pharmacy First: Community Pharmacy England drop-in sessions announced and additional resources published.

Action: Consider joining an online drop-in session if you have a query on the service and review the additional resources published to see if you want to use these to support you to deliver the service.

Pharmacy First: Community Pharmacy England online drop-in session to assist pharmacy owners and their teams with any queries they may have on the service.

Action: If you have a query on the Pharmacy First service, consider joining the session. Alternatively, if you are not able to join the drop-in session, queries can also be emailed to the Services Team: services.team@cpe.org.uk.

Pharmacy First: Community Pharmacy England online drop-in session to assist pharmacy owners and their teams with any queries they may have on the service.

Action: If you have a query on the Pharmacy First service, consider joining the session. Alternatively, if you are not able to join the drop-in session, queries can also be emailed to the Services Team: services.team@cpe.org.uk.

Pharmacy First: Deadline for pharmacy owners to declare that they agree to the terms and scope of the three elements of the Pharmacy First service and therefore claim the £2,000 initial fixed payment; this will be paid on 1st March 2024.

Pharmacy owners can still declare that they agree to the terms and scope of the three elements of the Pharmacy First Service after this date, but they will not be entitled to the £2,000 initial fixed payment.

Action: If you are intending to provide the service, and have not yet completed the declaration, complete this by the end of the day.

Pharmacy First: Pharmacy owners who declared that they agree to the terms and scope of the three elements of the Pharmacy First service by 11.59pm on 31st December 2023 will be paid their £2,000 initial fixed payment.

Action: If you met the above deadline, check your Schedule of Payments to ensure you have received this payment.

COVID-19: NHS England contacted pharmacies currently providing the autumn/winter 2023/24 COVID-19 vaccination service to ask whether they would be willing to extend the duration of their current contract to provide the service until 31st August 2024.

Action: If you are currently providing the autumn/winter 2023/24 COVID-19 vaccination service, review the updated service specification to decide if you are willing to extend the duration of your current contract. Let your local commissioner know by 22nd February 2024, if you are able to continue to provide the service from 31st March 2024 to 31st August 2024.

Pharmacy First: Community Pharmacy England online drop-in session to assist pharmacy owners and their teams with any queries they may have on the service.

Action: If you have a query on the Pharmacy First service, consider joining the session. Alternatively, if you are not able to join the drop-in session, queries can also be emailed to the Services Team: services.team@cpe.org.uk.

COVID-19: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) published advice on a spring 2024 COVID-19 vaccination programme which the Government accepted.

Action: If you are currently providing the autumn/winter 2023/24 COVID-19 vaccination service and have contacted your local commissioner about extending your contract (as detailed above), read the JCVI advice so you are aware which patient groups will be eligible for the spring 2024 COVID-19 vaccination programme.

Pharmacy First: Community Pharmacy England published new FAQs and a resource on the service.

Action: Review the FAQs and new resource.

Pharmacy First: Community Pharmacy England online drop-in session to assist pharmacy owners and their teams with any queries they may have on the service.

Action: If you have a query on the Pharmacy First service, consider joining the session. Alternatively, if you are not able to join the drop-in session, queries can also be emailed to the Services Team: services.team@cpe.org.uk.

ToS: Community Pharmacy England published new guidance to help pharmacy owners complete the latest Data Security and Protection Toolkit.

Action: Review the new guidance and plan when you are going to complete the toolkit and make the pharmacy’s information governance declaration (this must be completed by 30th June 2024).

Pharmacy First: Community Pharmacy England published an update on Pharmacy First and new FAQs.

Action: Read the update and FAQs.

Pharmacy First: Following the launch of NHS England’s ‘Think Pharmacy first’ campaign, NHS England campaign materials were published for pharmacy teams to use.

Action: Review the campaign materials to see if you want to use them in your pharmacy.

ToS: A news story was published to remind pharmacy owners of the need to update NHS Profile Manager to ensure that their pharmacy’s NHS website and Directory of Services (DoS) profile information is up to date. The news story also reminded pharmacy owners that is they are providing new services then they should update NHS Profile Manager to show that they are providing the service, as well as a reminder about Easter approaching and needing to ensure their opening hours are displayed correctly for this time period.

Action: Review NHS Profile Manager to ensure your pharmacy information is correct and update/validate your information.

COVID-19: Deadline for pharmacy owners currently providing the COVID-19 vaccination service to let their local commissioner know if they are able to continue to provide the service from 31st March 2024 to 31st August 2024 and are content for their contracts to be extended.

Action: If you are currently providing the COVID-19 vaccination service and have not let your local commissioner know that you are able to continue to provide the service from 31st March 2024 to 31st August 2024 and are content for your contract to be extended, do so by the end of the day.

Hypertension Case-Finding Service: Pharmacy teams can now order a Hypertension Case-Finding Service campaign pack to promote and support the DHSC campaign on encouraging those aged 40 years and over, to get a free blood pressure check at theie nearest participating pharmacy.

Action: If you provide the Hypertension Case-Finding Service consider ordering a campaign pack; these will be available while stocks last.

Pharmacy First: News story published to highlight the claiming process for Pharmacy First; the requirements and deadline around the £2,000 initial fixed payment and the increase in the number of Clinical pathway consultations that pass the Gateway point that are required to be delivered in March 2024 to qualify for the £1,000 monthly payment.

Action: Read the news story to ensure you understand the claiming process, requirements arounf the £2,000 initial fixed payment and the number of Clinical pathway consultations that pass the Gateway point that are required to be delivered in March 2024.

PCS: Deadline for pharmacies providing the Tier 1 (ongoing management of oral contraception) to declare that they agree to the terms and scope of the expanded service via the NHSBSA MYS portal.

Any pharmacies providing the Tier 1 service who do not opt-in by 11.59pm on this date will be automatically deregistered from the service (and they will be informed of this by the NHSBSA) on 1st March 2024.

Action: If you are planning to continue to offer PCS and agree to the terms and scope of the expanded service, complete your declaration by the end of the day.

1st March 2024

Pharmacy First: Pharmacy owners who declared that they agree to the terms and scope of the three elements of the Pharmacy First service by 11.59pm on 30th January 2024 will be paid their £2,000 initial fixed payment.

Action: If you met the above deadline, check your Schedule of Payments to ensure you have received this payment.

Pharmacy First: The activity threshold of clinical pathway consultations increases to a minimum of 5 clinical pathways per month. This means pharmacy owners have to provide a minimum of 5 consultations that pass the gateway point (as detailed in the clinical pathways) in March 2024 to be eligible for the £1,000 monthly payment. This target also applies to April 2024.

Action: Ensure pharmacy team members are aware of the increase in activity threshold and discuss actions that can support the team to reach the increased target.

ToS: Community Pharmacy England webinar announced to help community pharmacy owners complete the Data Security and Protection Toolkit for 2023/24. The webinar will be held at 7pm on Wednesday 20th March 2024.

Action: Register for the webinar.

Flu: Annual flu letter published.

Action:  Read the letter and consider the changes to the timing of the service and the reinforced advice regarding the use of second line vaccines as part of forward planning and vaccine procurement.

LFD service: Announcement that additional patient groups will be eligible to access the service from 1st April 2024.

Action: If you are providing the service, read the updated service specification, update your standard operating procedure, if applicable and brief the pharmacy team on the changes.

Pharmacy First: NHSBSA emailed pharmacy owners to say that the Pharmacy First IT system suppliers had resolved issues with the data they supplied to the Manage Your Service (MYS) portal for the February 2024 NHS Pharmacy First activity.

NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care also further extended the submission deadline for February 2024 Pharmacy First claims; pharmacy owners have until 11.59pm on Monday 25th March 2024 to submit their declaration.

Action: Read the news story so you are aware of the appropriate action to take.

Flu: 2024/25 flu service specification published.

Action: Read the service specification.

ToS: Community Pharmacy England webinar to help pharmacy owners complete the Data Security and Protection Toolkit for 2023/24.

Action: Watch the recorded webinar if you did not join the live webinar.

Pharmacy First: Deadline to submit February claims.

Action: Read the news story so you are aware of the appropriate action to take.

Flu: 2023/24 Flu Vaccination Service ends.

Action: At the end of the day remove any promotional materials for the Flu Vaccination Service (including any on your website) and ensure all staff are aware that the service has now finished for 2023/24.

• Actively working in collaboration with other organisations to deliver pharmacy outreach and any locally commissioned services; and
• Taking prevention and health promotion services beyond the pharmacy premises. Pharmacy outreach may be face to face and take services to people where they live or spend time or may be virtual events.

ToS: Deadline for verifying and, where necessary, updating the information contained in a pharmacy’s NHS website profile and their DoS profile for the 1st January to 31st March 2024 quarter of the financial year.

This is a mandatory requirement for all pharmacy owners.

Action: If you have not updated your NHS website profile and your DoS profile using NHS Profile Manager, complete this by the end of the day.

Pharmacy First: Deadline for pharmacy owners to have delivered a minimum of five Pharmacy First – clinical pathway consultations that cross the Gateway point.

If pharmacy owners have not delivered a minimum of five of these consultations by this date, they will have their £2,000 initial fixed payment recovered.