CPTV Pharmacy Academy

This podcast discusses the ongoing challenge of medicine shortages faced by community pharmacies, emphasizing the daily struggle to source medications. It highlights a recent report indicating the severity of the issue, with most pharmacy teams dealing with shortages frequently and reporting risks to patient health. The text also explains the complex reasons behind shortages, ranging from manufacturing problems and supply chain disruptions to economic factors and increased demand, and provides guidance on how pharmacies can identify, report, and manage supply issues, including utilizing national tools and understanding notification tiers.

This is an outline with guidelines for pharmacists in England to treat shingles within the NHS Pharmacy First service. One document provides a Patient Group Direction (PGD) for supplying aciclovir, detailing patient inclusion/exclusion criteria, dosage, duration, and necessary record-keeping. Another PGD addresses the supply of valaciclovir, primarily as an alternative when aciclovir is unavailable or in specific patient circumstances like immunosuppression or difficulty adhering to the aciclovir regimen. The third source, an article for healthcare professionals, offers practical advice on managing shingles, emphasizing ruling out serious complications, taking a thorough patient history, understanding treatment goals, and considering factors like rash onset time and patient adherence when selecting antiviral medication. Together, the sources provide a framework for pharmacists to assess, treat, and advise patients with shingles, including guidance on referrals and safety-netting.

Explanation of the importance of Category M in the community pharmacy sector, specifically focusing on its role within the Drug Tariff and Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) in England. Category M serves as a key mechanism for setting reimbursement prices for generic medicines, influencing the retained margin, which represents a portion of the funding for pharmacies. Both sources highlight that this system is monitored by Community Pharmacy England and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and adjusted quarterly based on market data to ensure a target margin is met. The texts also touch upon challenges related to product availability at Category M prices and the impact of branded prescribing on the generic market and pharmacy funding.

A discussion of the upcoming changes to the GP Contract in England for 2025/26, with a significant focus on enhancing the integration of community pharmacy services with general practice. A key element highlighted is the mandatory enablement of GP Connect functionality by October 2025, allowing pharmacists read-only access to patient records and the ability to send consultation summaries. This aims to improve patient care, streamline workflows, and reduce administrative burden for both GPs and pharmacies.

This podcast provides comprehensive information about Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs), outlining their various symptomsthat can differ based on age and overall health. They discuss treatment options, including the use of antibiotics like nitrofurantoin for specific patient groups and self-care measures like adequate hydration and pain relief. The sources also emphasize the causes of UTIs, primarily bacterial, and offer preventative strategies to reduce the risk of infection. Finally, they offer guidance on when to seek medical attention, differentiating between non-urgent and urgent scenarios and outlining criteria for when a patient should be referred to a healthcare professional.

This podcast utline Patient Group Directions (PGDs) for pharmacists in England to supply antibiotics for infected insect bites and stings as part of the Pharmacy First service. Each PGD focuses on a specific antibiotic: flucloxacillin as the primary treatment, clarithromycin as an alternative for those with penicillin allergies, and erythromycin specifically for pregnant individuals with penicillin allergies. They detail the criteria for identifying eligible patients, conditions that exclude individuals from receiving treatment under the PGD, necessary training and competency requirements for pharmacists, and the dosage and administration of each antibiotic. The documents also provide information on potential drug interactions, management of adverse reactions, and the required record-keeping procedures.

NEW for 2025. This discussion outlines the NHS Pharmacy First service, a new initiative launched in January 2024 allowing pharmacists in England to treat seven common conditions and provide urgent medicine supplies. The service integrates the previous Community Pharmacist Consultation Service elements and requires participating pharmacies to have a consultation room, standard operating procedures, and business continuity plans in place. Pharmacies must utilize NHS-assured IT systems for record-keeping and data submission, and patient consent is needed to access their medical records, which will be updated via GP Connect. Compensation includes both a fee per consultation and a monthly payment tied to meeting specific clinical pathway consultation targets, with variations for distance selling pharmacies.

Quick summary on the HTCFS with some useful Pharmacy guidance and information regarding the NHS community pharmacy hypertension case-finding advanced service. They detail the service objectives, which include identifying individuals with high blood pressure, performing blood pressure checks and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) as requested by general practices, and promoting healthy behaviors. The sources outline the requirements for pharmaciesto provide the service, covering aspects such as staff training and competency, the need for a consultation room, necessary equipment and its maintenance, and communication protocolswith general practices and patients. Furthermore, the documents explain patient eligibility, the two stages of the service (clinic checks and ABPM), procedures for recording and sharing results, and details regarding funding, claiming payment, and requirements for record keeping.

Taken from the CPE guide from their website - some common misconceptions explained. This podcast uses the webpage from Community Pharmacy England and addresses common misconceptions about the Pharmacy First service. It clarifies various aspects of the service, including mandatory training, referral proceduresfrom sources like NHS 111 and GPs, and the appropriate handling of different types of patient presentations. The text also explains guidelines for dispensing controlled drugs and other medicines under the service, discusses record-keeping requirements, and specifies eligibility criteria for various clinical pathways, such as those for urinary tract infections and acute otitis media, even addressing limitations for distance selling pharmacies.

This Podcast outlines the NHS Pharmacy Contraception Service in England, detailing how community pharmacists can supply combined oral contraceptives (COC) and progestogen-only pills (POP) under Patient Group Directions (PGDs). The service, which launched in April 2023 and expanded in December 2023, enables pharmacists to initiate and provide ongoing supplies of oral contraception, aiming to improve access and convenience for patients. Key aspects covered include the required pharmacist training and competency, patient eligibility and exclusion criteria, consultation procedures, and record-keeping requirements for both clinical data and payment purposes. The service will also be expanded in October 2025 to include emergency hormonal contraception consultations.