17th October 2014
Dear Pharmacy Colleague
Fantastic News – Winter Ailments, Minor Ailments and Emergency Supply services to be
piloted in South Devon and Torbay CCG Localities
The roles that community pharmacy can play to help increase capacity in primary care and
relieve winter pressures have been well recognised. The
recent NHS England Review of Emergency Care stated
that “Community pharmacies are an under-used
resource”… “We (the NHS) can capitalise on the untapped
potential, and convenience, that greater utilisation of the
skills and expertise of the pharmacy workforce can offer”.
The Devon LPC is pleased to announce that we have just been allocated some funding
from the NHS England Area Team’s Prime Ministers Challenge Fund to pilot three services
in community pharmacy in the South Devon and Torbay CCG, during the period 1 st
November 2014 to 31st March 2015. The aim of the Challenge Fund is to increase access to
primary care services.
The three services are:
1. Winter ailments scheme: NHS-funded supply of a limited range of over the counter
medicines for people exempt from prescription charges to support self-care. Only
sign up is required to provide the service.
2. Minor ailments scheme using Patient Group Directions: supply of a limited range of
Prescription Only Medicines (POMs) to treat urinary tract infections, impetigo, nappy
rash and bacterial conjunctivitis. Training and sign up is required to provide this
service.
3. Community Pharmacy Emergency Supply Service
The purpose of the Community Pharmacy Emergency Supply Service is to ensure that
local patients and visitors to the area can access an urgent supply of their regular
prescription medicines where they are unable to obtain a prescription before they
need to take their next dose.
This is a fantastic opportunity for us locally to demonstrate the role that community
pharmacy locally in providing an appropriate alternative to the use of general practice or
other health care environment (i.e. A&E, Out of Hours Urgent Care). It has been agreed
that the LPC will be managing the pilot services on behalf of NEW Devon CCG.
How can you make sure we maximise the outcomes from these services?
Your pharmacy team will be pivotal in ensuring these services are a success. A concise
summary of each of the individual schemes is attached. For now, all we ask is that you fax
back the attached Expression of Interest form to the Devon LPC Secretariat by return or
Devon Local Pharmaceutical Committee
Deer Park Business Centre
Haldon Hill, Kennford
Exeter EX6 7XX
T: 01392 834 022
F: 01392 833 336
E: admindevonlpc@devonlpc.org
www.devonlpc.org
not later than Friday 24th October 2014. This will not be binding, it is purely to give us an
idea of potential coverage. Full details of the service specifications, PGDs and Sign-up
sheets etc will be sent out shortly. We will be required to evaluate the delivery and
outcomes of the services in the hope of demonstrating their effectiveness and sustainability
for on-going commissioning.
Kind regards
Sue Taylor
Chief Officer
Devon LPC
1. Winter ailments scheme
Purpose
The purpose of the Community Pharmacy Winter Ailments Service is to ensure that low
income families have equal access to self-care advice for the treatment of winter ailments
and, where appropriate, can be supplied with over the counter medicines, at NHS expense,
to treat their winter ailment. The aim of this service is to provide an alternative location
from which patients can seek advice and treatment, rather than seeking treatment via a
prescription from their GP or out of hours (OOH) provider, or via a walk-in centre or
accident and emergency.
How will Pharmacies benefit from this service?
 Pharmacies will be remunerated for the provision of this service. Pharmacies will
have a method to supply winter ailment treatments to patients who would
otherwise not be able to afford them, avoiding the necessity to consult other
healthcare professionals to obtain a prescription
What can you do to maximise the benefits to your pharmacy?
 Brief all relevant staff on the winter ailments schemes and the process to follow
 Ensure all relevant staff are aware patients may be referred into this service by
another healthcare professional, such as out of hours services and the 111 service
Who is eligible for the winter ailments scheme?
Patients who are exempt from prescription charges and do not normally pay for their
prescriptions are eligible for referral into the winter ailments scheme.
What winter ailment treatments that can be supplied?
The following treatments will be available free of charge to patients meeting the required
criteria. Please see scheme specification for full details of formulations and pack sizes.
 Analgesics: Aspirin tablets, Co-codamol tablets, Ibuprofen, Paracetamol
 Oral rehydration: Dioralyte sachets
 Antimotility: Loperamide capsules
 Cough suppressants: Pholcodine linctus, Simple linctus, Simple linctus paediatric
 Nasal decongestants: Xylometazoline nasal spray
Payment Structure:
£4 supply fee
Reimbursement of drug price plus VAT for the formulary products listed
2. Minor ailments scheme using Patient Group Directions
The minor ailments scheme will allow pharmacists to supply of a limited range of
Prescription Only Medicines (POMs) to treat urinary tract infections, impetigo, nappy rash
and bacterial conjunctivitis under a Patient Group Direction (PGD). The PGDs will be the
same as those currently being used in Cornwall and the Western Locality of NEW Devon
CCG and will be signed off by NHS England.
The minor ailments scheme will be designed to:



To improve access and choice for people with minor ailments by promoting self-care
through the community pharmacy, including provision of advice and where
appropriate the supply of medicines under PGD without the need to visit the GP
practice
To operate a referral system from local medical practices or other primary care
providers including the 111 service
To improve primary care capacity by reducing medical practice workload related
to minor ailments
Payment Structure
Pharmacies will receive a £10 monthly administrative fee
£10 payment for each consultation
Drugs supplied will be reimbursed at current Drug Tariff price plus VAT
Costs of consumables will be reimbursed.
Pharmacists will be required to be competent in the use of Patient Group Directions and
have completed the latest CPPE Pack Responding to Minor Ailments.
Community Pharmacy Emergency Supply Service
The purpose of the Community Pharmacy Emergency Supply Service is to ensure that local
patients and visitors to the area can access an urgent supply of their regular prescription
medicines where they are unable to obtain a prescription before they need to take their
next dose.
A professional fee of £10.00 will be paid for each emergency supply, with an additional fee
of £2.00 paid for each additional item supplied.
The cost of the medicine supplied (guided by Drug Tariff prices) plus VAT will be
reimbursed
Expression of Interest
Pharmacy First – Winter Ailments, Minor Ailments and Emergency Supply
services to be piloted in
South Devon & Torbay CCG Localities
Yes – we would be interested in taking part.
No – we wouldn’t be interested in taking part.
(delete as appropriate)
Name of Pharmacy:
Address:
Name of contact:
Email address of contact:
Please fax back to Devon LPC 01392 833336 by Friday 24th October 2014