At Pharmaseekers, we’re always working to keep ourselves informed of the latest trends in service delivery within Community Pharmacy. By staying informed we can assure our customers we’re working to support their needs. It also allows us to provide our locums with the information they need to continue being the most sought-after professionals. Since the Pharmacy funding negotiations in July, two main changes in services have come about within Community Pharmacy. First, the introduction of the Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS) and second, the rejuvenated Pharmacy Quality Scheme (PQS), formerly known as Quality Payments Scheme.
We’ve put together a guide for our locums on what the CPCS service is about and what is required as a locum to support the delivery of it.
Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS); What is it?
The Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS) service will replace the successful NUMSAS and DMIRS pilots. It went live on the 29th October 2019.
The CPCS takes referrals to community pharmacy from NHS 111. There are plans for referrals to be taken from other parts of the NHS in the future.
How does it affect me?
The contract that contractors must sign to provide the service states that it must be offered 100% of a branch’s opening hours. That means that any branch contracted to provide the service must always have an accredited professional on site, as a locum, this would be you. We are encouraging our locums to complete the following learning and actions. Please make sure we have your certificates and screenshots.
Engage fully with the CPCS service specification to ensure you’re aware of the what it entails and how to deliver it.
Complete the CPCS Self-Assessment framework to identify any gaps in knowledge and plan how and when to address them to improve future delivery of the service. (Please upload a completed copy of the framework to your account with us; we use this to reassure our customers that you have engaged with the service spec and can deliver the service)
Ensure you have Summary Care Records Access on your Smartcard. It would be most efficient to have SCR access against the locum 5F code on your Smartcard. This would mean you don’t have to get the branch ODS code on your card and then re-apply for SCR every time you book a new store. Your local Registration Authority should be able to help you with guidance on achieving the 5F locum code and subsequently applying for SCR.
Just to remember…
Both the PQS scheme and CPCS service forms part of the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) and sets out criteria that our pharmacy customers must meet to be able to claim funding. You can understand why they are keen for the locums that we send to have them!
Contact us if you have any questions or queries and we’ll be happy to help.
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