Archived on 15 July 2021 – this content has expired.

Important events and NPA resources – 2016

A list of events and NPA resources for the four UK countries, supplemental to the superintendent update, "Get 2017 off to the right start"

Top resources – England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales

  • Business solutions
    Running your business efficiently and seeking new sources of income will become increasingly important in 2017. Training and developing your staff, reducing your costs, reviewing your business and setting goals, maximising income from NHS services, developing private services, and promoting your pharmacy are all ways that you can buffer your business against the funding cuts. The NPA website contains plenty of business support resources for members, including the “Business Efficiency Solutions
  • Monitored dosage systems
    Dispensing medicines in monitored dosage systems (MDS) often causes issues for pharmacists. Running an efficient and safe MDS service can help you to retain patients, minimise costs and reduce the risk of a patient safety incident. The new NPA MDS resources provide guidance on various aspects of MDS, from the legal and practical considerations of dispensing medicines this way, to finding suitable suppliers for MDS.


Other important events and NPA resources launched in 2016

England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales

  • In March 2016, the NPA produced a suite of service user consent policy resources designed to support pharmacists in obtaining patient consent – they will be particularly relevant for members wishing to carry out additional and/or innovative pharmacy services as a result of the funding cuts
  • In May 2016, the NPA published “Visas and sponsorships: guidance” to explain the visa options available for pre-registration students coming from outside the European Economic Area or Switzerland – this will be helpful to pharmacies wishing to recruit such a student


England

  • In February 2016, the NPA sent out a copy of our New Medicine Service (NMS) resource pack to members – this will help members to improve their NMS offering, recruit more patients and ensure correct payment
  • In the same month, we also published our Summary Care Record (SCR) resources – accessing the SCR is one of the quality criteria under the quality payments scheme
  • In March 2016, the NPA published a suite of resources to help member provide support for self-care and signposting – these comprise a guidance document, SOP and directory
  • From 1 July 2016, pharmacy teams are required to advise patients who claim exemption from NHS prescription charges but do not present required evidence, that the NHS routinely checks claims to verify exemption status – the NPA’s fraud checking guidance notes and suggested script are available on the NPA website to help members meet this requirement
  • Compliance with the Accessible Information Standard became mandatory from 31 July 2016 – to support members, the NPA published some Accessible Information Standard resources, including a brief guide, a SOP and FAQs
  • New whistleblowing guidance was published in November 2016 by NHS England – members can use the NPA whistleblowing resources to review and update their pharmacy whistleblowing policies in line with the NHS England guidance


Northern Ireland


Scotland


Wales

  • In March 2016, the Welsh Government announced the roll out of the Choose Pharmacy IM&T platform – the platform will support the Common Ailments Service, the eDMR Service and access to the GP Medical Record
  • In July 2016, a consultation on the Welsh Language Standards opened, aimed at improving the use of Welsh language services by health service bodies – the responses are now being reviewed