PSNC publishes top tips to prepare for new contract
Ten top tips to help contractors prepare for the new community pharmacy contract in England and Wales have been published.
The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee said this week that
it will be producing guidance on the new contract for both contractors
and local pharmaceutical committees (LPCs) in the next few months. But,
in the meantime, the PSNC has come up with 10 tips to help contractors
get started now (see Panel).
The 10 top tips for community pharmacy contractors
1. Brief your staff on the basics of the new contract
2. Assess your readiness for providing the essential services
3. Assess staffing requirements — think about developing your
skill mix
4. Assess training and development needs for all staff (do not forget
yourself)
5. Decide whether you want to provide advanced services early in
the implementation of the new contract
6. Assess your premises in the light of new contract requirements
(in particular, consider the requirements for consultation areas
for providing advanced services and about how consultation areas
will be used in the future so they can be used to provide other services)
7. Start thinking about your future IT requirements
8. Develop an action plan to make any necessary changes to your pharmacy
procedures ensuring you involve all your staff
9. Assess your relationships with other local health care professionals
and the PCT — start developing them if they are poor
10. Work with your LPC and keep an eye on the PSNC website for
developments |
Implementation of the new contract will
begin in April but contractors will have six months before they have
to comply with the requirements
of the essential services. From October, primary care trusts (PCTs)
will begin to monitor compliance. |
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Pharmaceutical Journal
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