Date: 15 May 2019
Dear Community Pharmacist
RE: Public Health Services 2014 and Community Pharmacist
I thought it would be prudent to advise you of the current position in relation to the Public Health Services from 1st April 2014. As you know, in 2013 DMBC Public Health directorate contracted for 1 year, directly with community pharmacy using the Department of Health standard public health contract for a variety of services (‘Current Contract’). These included:
Smoking cessation
Sexual health (Emergency Hormonal Contraception)
Substance misuse (Needle Exchange and Supervised Consumption)
The Current Contract will expire on 31st March 2014.
Smoking Cessation
DMBC Public Health are currently tendering for a new specialist smoking cessation service and the provision of this service will commence on the 1st April 2014. The future service provider may consider sub-contracting with community pharmacists for this service; however this will be a contractual relationship between community pharmacists and the service provider. DMBC Public Health will not enter into a contract directly with community pharmacists for the provision of a smoking cessation service post 31st March 2014.
The following arrangement applies for exiting the Current Contract in relation to Smoking Cessation:
- All stop smoking programmes must be completed by 31st March 2014.
- Pharmacies will not allow patients to commence a course of stop smoking support after 31st January 2014.
3. DMBC Public Health will pay on submission of completed forms at the current rate for attempted quits and successful quits provided that:
3.1 All forms submitted for payment after 31 March 2014 are sent direct to DMBC Public Health and not to RDaSH.
3.2 All claims for payment are received before the 30 June 2014. For the avoidance of doubt any claim received after the 30th June will not be paid.
Pharmacies should note that the new provider of specialist smoking cessation services is not commissioned to provide advice, support or mentoring of pharmacy stop smoking services external to their contract. Advisors providing stop smoking support should seek advice and guidance from within the pharmacy itself.
Further information will be provided to pharmacies once the new contract has been awarded and transition arrangements are agreed. This will include details of how pharmacies can refer patients to the new service provider.
Public Health would like to thank community pharmacies for their support through delivery of this service and prescribing to the wider stop smoking service.
Sexual Health (Emergency Hormonal Contraception)
The contract for these services will cease on the 31st March 2014 and DMBC Public Health are in the process of considering its options in relation to these services and would hope to contact you shortly. It is envisaged that DMBC will embark on a tendering exercise for sexual health services during 2014 and the role of pharmacies will need to be reviewed.
Substance Misuse (Needle Exchange and Supervised Consumption)
The contract for these services will cease on the 31st March 2014 and DMBC Public Health are in the process of considering its options in relation to these services and would hope to contact you shortly. It is envisaged that DMBC will embark on a tendering exercise for substance misuse services during 2015 and the role of pharmacies will need to be reviewed.
If you have any queries in regards to this please do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours faithfully,
Dr Rupert Suckling
Assistant Director Public Health
GMC 3664801