UCA-NI NEWS Welcome!


Community pharmacy has seen a raft of new and revised services being introduced over the past few weeks.


This has been welcomed by pharmacies, keen to get back to providing vital services to the public and contributing to the pandemic response.


Community pharmacy Northern Ireland (CpNI) and Health & Social Care Board’s (HSCB’s) new, positive relationship is bearing fruit, and the new confidence being placed in community pharmacy to deliver meaningful services is a direct consequence of the dedication shown by pharmacies throughout the crisis.


The health service is gearing up for a difficult winter period, and uCa were delighted to see that funding is being provided for pharmacies to purchase a tablet which can be used to deliver virtual consultations.


Now that we are moving towards a second surge, it is vital that all pharmacists continue to adhere to the basic principles of infection prevention and control: hand washing, face covering and social distancing.


This cautious attitude must continue outside of the workplace to protect the rest of the pharmacy team and the services provided.


UCA-NI LTD


COMMUNITY PHARMACY FLU VACCINATION SERVICE


The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has agreed that, in addition to the routine eligible groups, the flu vaccine should also be offered, on request, to the household contacts of anyone who received a shielding letter during the pandemic.


a co-ordinated campaign is being rolled out to maximise uptake rates across all eligible groups and this year it will include all year eight pupils in secondary schools. Should enough vaccine be available, the vaccination programme may also be extended


from December to healthy 50 to 64 year olds.


Following on from a successful pilot in the West, Northern Ireland’s community pharmacies have been tasked with rolling out a flu vaccination programme for all Health & Social Care Workers in direct contact with patients/clients to protect their families, themselves and their patients. This includes Trust, non-Trust, frontline and non-frontline staff aged 16 years and over.


an information campaign has been launched to encourage uptake of the


MDS REVIEW


Pharmacies were funded to run a review of patients currently receiving adherence support through a Monitored Dosage System (MDS).


This review will provide a base line of information as we enter the winter period, allowing HSCB to


adequately plan for a potential surge in cases.


using a review tool developed in collaboration with CpNI and based on guidance from Specialist pharmacy Services, pharmacies were asked to identify eligible patients for whom MDS must continue, as it is deemed


vital in order for them to manage their medicines safely and also those patients where use of MDS may not be necessary, or where other options may be safely considered. The review also provided an opportunity for issues identified to be communicated to the gp practice for follow-up.


vaccinations amongst healthcare staff who have four times the likelihood of coming in contact with the flu virus than the general population.


The target is to vaccinate more than 75 per cent of staff by 31 January 2021 which will protect both patients and service capability during what is expected to be an extremely challenging winter period for the NHS.


Images and posters will be available from HSCB for all pharmacies to use on their own social media accounts.


REVISED MINOR AILMENTS SERVICE


Community pharmacies were given the green light to re-start their Minor Ailments Service in September, with greater flexibility on how the service may be delivered.


Consultations are now allowed via telephone or video call through the pharmacy’s HSC Zoom account, where the pharmacists deem it to be suitable, although this should be annotated on the patient record.


previously, third-party consultations were generally limited to a parent/guardian presenting with a set of symptoms for a child, but, given that some patients requiring advice or treatment may be self-isolating or shielding, it is now acceptable for a representative of the patient to attend the pharmacy for the MaS consultation. The pharmacist can still ask to speak directly to the patient/patient’s carer via telephone or video call if it is necessary to do so.


Whilst many will still offer the MaS as a walk-in service on demand, HSCB have recognised that workload and social distancing requirements caused by the pandemic may present a challenge to some pharmacies in their ability to deliver the service in this way.


pharmacies may now offer an appointment time to a patient or their representative, particularly when they are to be conducted via telephone or video call.


> pHaRMaCy IN FOCuS - 37


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