Ensuring continuity of Pharmacy First services during system outage
ACTION for Community Pharmacy Contractors – guidelines from the Primary Care Commissioning Team, Office of the West Midlands:
To ensure continuity of service and minimise disruption to patient care, please take the following actions:
- Confirm Access to Pharmacy.net
Please ensure that all relevant staff can successfully access their nhs.net accounts. We recommend checking login credentials and access permissions in advance to avoid issues when services are required. Ensure there is a process for locums to access this and that a regular check should be embedded into the daily workflow.
If any member of your team is unable to access nhs.net, please arrange for this to be resolved as soon as possible through your usual support channels.
The CPE page on nhs.net emails may be helpful NHS.net Connect (formerly NHSmail) – Community Pharmacy England
- Processing Pharmacy First Referrals During System Outages
In the event of a Pharmacy.net or system outage, pharmacies should continue to provide Pharmacy First/Minor Illnesses consultations where appropriate and maintain a local record of all referrals and consultations undertaken during the outage period.
Please ensure that sufficient information is captured to allow the consultation to be entered retrospectively once systems are restored.
Ensure this is contained within your business continuity planning and that all relevant staff are aware of the necessary actions.
- Retrospective Submission for Payment
Once access to Pharmacy.net has been restored, any Pharmacy First consultations completed during the outage should be entered retrospectively as soon as possible in accordance with local and national guidance. This should be within 24 hours of the system coming back on line
Accurate retrospective recording is essential to ensure that:
- Clinical records are complete.
- Activity is correctly reported.
- Eligible consultations are included for payment claims.
- Please retain any supporting documentation or records until the retrospective entries have been successfully submitted.
If you have any questions regarding Pharmacy.net access, Pharmacy First referrals, or retrospective payment claims, please contact the Office of West Midlands at nhsbsolicb.pharmacy-westmidlands2@nhs.net
Thank you for your cooperation and for your continued commitment to delivering Pharmacy First/Minor Illnesses services.
