Scottish Government has agreed to an annualised pool of £1m to support the training of employee Pharmacist Independent Prescribers in community pharmacies.

To support the Post Registration National Foundation Programme for Newly Qualified Pharmacists, a monthly fee of £1,000 will be made available to the contractor named on the pharmaceutical list on the 1st of each month where the newly qualified pharmacist has joined the PRFP scheme.

The Scottish Government campaign activity for 2024-25 is currently being finalised and a more detailed list for the year will be issued in due course.

The annualised pool of £4.08 million to recognise the work undertaken in the treatment of unscheduled care.

To advise of a Serious Shortage Protocol (SSP) in place for Jext® 300 micrograms/0.3mL (1 in 1000) solution for injection auto-injector pen, from 21 August 2023 to 15 September 2023.

To advise of a Serious Shortage Protocol (SSP) in place for Estradot® (Estradiol hemihydrate) 100 microgram patches, from 21 August 2023 to 8 September 2023.

This Circular advises community pharmacy contractors that the Serious Shortage Protocol (SSP) for Progynova®

annualised pool £2.751m. A monthly payment will be made of £180 per month per contractor.

We would like to signpost everyone to this part of the Scottish Drug Tariff.

The Drug Tariff arrangements are different in Scotland from elsewhere in the UK...

The total Establishment Payment plus Dispensing Pool Payment plus Pharmaceutical Needs Weighting Payment made to an Essential Small Pharmacy (ESP) each month, are subject to a guarantee minimum target income of £4,412 for full-time contractors.

This Circular advises community pharmacy contractors that the UK-wide active Serious Shortage Protocol (SSP) for Utrogestan® (micronised progesterone) 100mg capsules

Month 1 advance = (no. of days open/31) x £18,000

Patient Group Directions (PGDs) that are to be added to the NHS Pharmacy First Scotland service for the treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis (hay fever).

This circular sets out to community pharmacy contractors and NHS Boards the details of the community pharmacy funding arrangement 2023/24

HMRC have issued information that their specific occupational guidance on locum pharmacist (ESM4270 and ESM2063) has been withdrawn with effect from 30th June 2023. 

The removal is because updates to HMRC’s general Employment Status Manual and the availability of the Check Employment Status for Tax (CEST) tool have removed the need for their occupation-specific guidance. 

Further information is available in the link to the HMRC Employer Bulletin for June 2023, which mentions the removal of the locum pharmacist guidance: June 2023 issue of the Employer Bulletin - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

This week’s MCR Ready Reckoner has been updated and is now available to download or you can view it via the App.

Two of the UK-wide Serious Shortage Protocols (SSPs) for Clarithromycin antibiotic products due to expire on 21 July 2023 have now been extended

The UK-wide active Serious Shortage Protocol (SSP) for Progynova® (estradiol) TS 100 microgram patches, a hormone replacement therapy (HRT)

This Circular advises of changes to the Scottish Drug Tariff effective from 1 May 2023 in respect of reimbursement of costs borne by community pharmacy contractors when dispensing NHS prescriptions for part 7 medicines.