Pharmacy negotiators in talks over plans to distribute COVID-19 treatments in primary care

Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee meeting minutes included a summary of discussions held with the Department of Health and Social Care on distribution of COVID-19 treatments in primary care.
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The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) is in talks with the government over potential plans to distribute COVID-19 treatments in primary care.

The discussions were briefly outlined in minutes of the PSNC’s service development subcommittee meeting held on 7 September 2020, which were later published as part of the agenda for the subcommittee’s February 2021 meeting.

They stated that Alastair Buxton, director of NHS services, provided a summary of the discussions held with the Department of Health and Social Care “on distribution of COVID-19 treatments in primary care”.

The subcommittee then concluded that it “would be possible for all community pharmacies” to participate in this potential service, with the PSNC asked to continue its discussions around how the service would develop “and the pricing of that service”.

The discussions come as the Platform Randomised trial of Interventions against COVID-19 In older peoPLE (PRINCIPLE) Trial continues to evaluate whether treatments prescribed at home in the first 14 days of contracting COVID-19 can prevent the need for hospital admissions.

Patients are able to participate through their GP practice or sign up online, with LloydsPharmacy and Well Pharmacy also working with PRINCIPLE trial researchers to recruit patients.

The researchers are currently evaluating the effects of inhaled budesonide on COVID-19 patients over usual care alone.

Pharmacists are also distributing medicines to clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) patients through the Community Pharmacy Home Delivery Service, which has been commissioned from 5 January 2021 to 21 February 2021 for all CEV patients living in England.

Pharmacists delivering medicines through this service are paid £5 per delivery, plus VAT.

The PSNC declined to comment further on the service but said contractors would be updated as soon as possible.

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Citation
The Pharmaceutical Journal, Pharmacy negotiators in talks over plans to distribute COVID-19 treatments in primary care;Online:DOI:10.1211/PJ.2021.20208789

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