PSNC launches PharmaBase
The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has launched a web based platform to help simplify record-keeping, claim payment from primary care trusts and build an evidence base for the sector.
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Pharmacists given tight IG deadlines
Community pharmacists in England have been given until the end of March to assess their compliance with NHS Connecting for Health’s information governance requirements.
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NHS Number exemptions expected
Community pharmacists and other groups of NHS workers will be made exempt from the national requirement to use the NHS Number from next month because they cannot trace or store NHS Numbers. The National Patient Safety Agency is expected to publish an official statement confirming that healthcare providers including community pharmacists, community nurses, dentists, optometrists […]
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IT vital to pharmacy progress
Use of the NHS Care Records Service by community pharmacists will be an essential part of the reform agenda for pharmacy services, health minister Phil Hope has said. The minister told the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee’s annual dinner that community pharmacy and the NHS were in a great position to move forward on a number […]
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Caution urged on EPS release two contracts
Community pharmacists have been warned to take care when signing contracts for systems to support release two of the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) as some pharmacies have been waiting more than two years for release one systems. The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) said it had been contacted by pharmacists who had signed up for […]
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One in ten EPS pharmacies scanning all barcodes
Only 11% of pharmacies enabled for the Electronic Prescription Service are scanning every barcode prescription with problems including slow download speeds, the barcodes themselves being too faint to scan and slow log-in times, according to a survey. A total of 365 pharmacies took part in a survey, carried out jointly by the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating […]
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Six month delay to stage two of electronic prescriptions
Release two of the Electronic Prescription Service will not go live until spring or summer this year, at least six months later than initially planned. Connecting for Health told EHI Primary Care that the initial timetable had been based on indicative timescales from system suppliers but had been delayed because suppliers were not yet ready […]
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Pharmacists urged to check NHS Choices data
Pharmacy representatives have advised pharmacists to check that information about their pharmacies on the NHS Choices website is correct or risk losing out when release two of the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) begins later this year. The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has told community pharmacists to verify the information on NHS Choices, in particular […]
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Pharmacists reject prescription printing plan
Community pharmacists claim they may still have to print out more than a quarter of prescription tokens when release two of the electronic prescription service (EPS) is introduced later this year. Representatives at the annual conference of the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) passed a motion “rejecting in the strongest terms” the plans to print […]
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EPS underspend due to slower rollout
Funding to pay pharmacists for using the electronic prescriptions service was underspent by more than 50% in the last financial year, pharmacy representatives have revealed. Only £22m out of the £58m allocated for EPS allowances by the Department of Health was spent in 2005-6 but the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) is confident the money […]
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