The 500mcg Adrenaline Autoinjector (Emerade) is in short supply at the moment which has caused some issues for the Flu Service.  Please see the letter below from the area Team

In CNTW many of you have already started to provide flu vaccinations.  A list of frequently asked questions which we’ve been receiving about the service is now available on the Northern Pharmacy Website.  You can access it directly by clicking here.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

As mentioned in our previous communications about Flu the LPCs of the North East have worked together to arrange radio advertising for this years campaign.

This radio advertising has started now and you can hear it on Metro Radio, TFM or  Radio Borders.  You can listen to the advert by  clicking here.
 
Please remember that if you do not offer the flu service from your pharmacy you will need to sign post people asking about it to pharmacies that do.

 
It is not too late to offer the service.  The Northern Pharmacy Website contains everything you need as well as all our communications from the last few months including a useful checklist to help get you up and running.

Further to LPC  communication last week. The 2014 NHS PGD's for flu vaccine and adrenaline have now been received and uploaded to the Northern Pharmacy website. Both documents can be accessed by clicking HERE. 
 
Please ensure that you replace last year’s document with this updated document and ensure that all pharmacists providing NHS vaccinations within the pharmacy have signed the document. The correct document number is NECSAT 2014/015.
 
The PGD should be read in conjunction with the SLA. Only those groups covered by both documents can be vaccinated within pharmacies, i.e. those aged 65 years and over, those aged 18-64 in a clinical risk group and pregnant women.
 
For clarification, although carers are included in the clinical risk group, these are informal carers, e.g. family members. Those who are paid carers, such as social service staff, care home employees, etc. are NOT entitled to free NHS vaccination as a carer. Their vaccination should be provided by their employer’s occupational health service. Some carers will be in receipt of carer’s allowance and this can be used to validate their entitlement, however, as this is a means tested benefit, not all carers will receive it. Knowledge of your own patients and the person being cared for will help you establish whether a person requesting vaccination is a carer. The final judgement rests with your professional decision. The Carer’s Trust have been made aware that community pharmacies are offering flu vaccinations, so you may experience a higher demand for vaccination than in previous years.
 
Please ensure you complete your training details on PharmOutcomes and have signed and returned the SLA to Linda Bosher, copied to me. Until I have a record of both details, we cannot accredit your pharmacy for flu vaccination provision.
 
Once your pharmacy is accredited, three new services will appear on PharmOutcomes,

1. NHS vaccination,
2. Private vaccination and
3. Service evaluation.

Please ensure all patients complete a service evaluation questionnaire. Not only does this provide invaluable information to the LPC and commissioners  it also keeps the patient in the pharmacy for a few minutes, so you can be assured they are not going to have an anaphylactic reaction to the vaccine.
 
As vaccines are now available and in stock in some pharmacies, please ensure you complete all necessary documentation as soon as possible.
 
The LPC organised radio advert will be transmitted from 15th September for two weeks on Metro Radio, Borders FM and Tees FM, followed by web based advertising and public newsletters in October  so we hope you will have more demand from patients this year.  

Make sure you pharmacy is prepared to respond. If you need further info Click Hereto read our previous communications which includes our helpful  checklist.
 

The Flu service is just about to start.  The SLA (Service Level Agreement) for the CNTW Pharmacy Flu Service has a start date of 1st September 2014.

Following on from all our previous correspondence the last item you will need to provide the NHS service is the NHS PGDs.  These are still being produced by the area team specifically for this year however last years PGDs are still valid and can be used as they have an expiry date of September 2015.

The area team have agreed a pragmatic approach of using last years PGDs until they issue a new one to supersede it.

The PGDs have now been uploaded to the Northern Pharmacy Website and once they are replaced with this year's PGDs will upload and inform you.

You should now have everything you need to run your Pharmacy Flu Service.  All our previous correspondence can be found in the latest info page of the Northern Pharmacy website for you to refer as  reference.

However below is a small checklist to help.

1. Training - Should now be complete
2. PharmOutcomes -  Log in and fill in the training service to register your training
3. Vaccine - Ensure your vaccine stock is procured.
4. SLA - Ensure you read, understand, sign and send to Linda Bosher
5. PGD - Download the PGD, Read, Understand Sign and Use
6. Marketing - Start Advertising NOW.
                      - Target, Pregnant Women, Under 65's with Long Term Conditions.

All info is available on the Northern Pharmacy Website.  Click here

We would like to wish you all the best and hope you have a successful vaccination campaign and hope that this is reflected in the local uptake rates where we hope pharmacy will make a big difference.Thanks

Sami

The SLA (Service Level Agreement) for the CNTW Pharmacy Flu service can now be downloaded from the Northern Pharmacy Website.  You can Click Hereto access the page direct.

This is the contract between your pharmacy and the area team.  You will need to make sure that the responsible person in your pharmacy reads and understands the SLA.  They will then need to sign and send the signature page to Linda Bosher at [email protected]

To make things easier for you you can also download a single signature page from the Northern Pharmacy Site.

When emailing Linda please copy in (cc) your LPC Flu lead.

In Gateshead, South Tyneside & Sunderland this is myself Sami Hanna [email protected].

In North of Tyne it is Ann Gunning [email protected]

If you are in Cumbria please contact Jeff Forster as they have a slightly different procedure. [email protected]

Should you have any queries please don't hesitate to contact me.

Thanks
Sami

P.S.  Don't forget to update your accreditation on PharmOutcomes.  If you still require training we have one live date left on the 19th August.  This or the online only training can be booked through the Northern Pharmacy Site
 

This message is for  all pharmacies.The training record module is now active on PharmOutcomes. Please ensure you enter the date you were trained for providing the 2014/15 Flu vaccination service. 

The module for recording (and therefore claiming payment) flu vaccinations administered, will only be activated for pharmacies when details of the pharmacist’s training have been entered.
 
The relevant information is on the ‘Services’ page of PharmOutcomes.

Novartis Training  -  PLEASE NOTE

If you are using the LPC organised Novartis training and are eligible for the online training only you still need to go on to the Northern Pharmacy website, register and pay for this years update.  We have had a few queries were people have assumed they would get access codes sent to them automatically.  This is not the case.  You need check your own eligibility then sign up using the online form.  You will then receive a confirmation email which contains instructions and codes to access the online modules.