1. health and fitness
2. drugs

To:
All IPU Contractor Members
From: Secretary General
Date: 1 April
No.
3 2015
From:
Date: 31 March 2015
NOTE FROM THE SECRETARY GENERAL
It’s election time again at the Pharmaceutical Society of
Ireland. The candidates for election to the PSI Council
have been announced and the ballot papers have
issued. This is a serious and important process, through
which pharmacists have a say in who oversees the
regulation of the profession and the business of
pharmacy. Technically PSI Council members are
appointed by the Minister for Health, but the Minister
may not refuse to appoint pharmacists selected by
members of the profession through this election.
The Pharmacy Act sets out the functions of the PSI,
which are to regulate the profession of pharmacy to
protect, maintain and promote the health and safety of
the public; to ensure a high standard of education,
training and appropriate experience for pharmacists
and those seeking to become pharmacists; to ensure
that pharmacists undertake appropriate CPD and to
supervise compliance with pharmacy and medicines
legislation.
In order to fulfil its functions, the Pharmacy Act grants
to the PSI “all such powers as are necessary or
expedient for the performance by it of its functions”.
These include powers of entry and inspection, as well
as the power to conduct inquiries into the
qualifications and fitness to practise of pharmacists
and to impose sanctions on pharmacists whom it finds
to be unqualified or unfit to practise and on pharmacy
owners whom it finds have failed to comply with
legislation, regulations or rules.
These are very significant powers and must be
exercised in a fair and proportionate manner. The costs
of all of this regulatory and enforcement activity are
borne by our profession through the annual
registration fees paid by pharmacists and pharmacy
businesses – fees which in Ireland are a multiple of
similar fees in other jurisdictions.
The Act vests the authority and responsibility to carry
out these functions in the PSI Council. Although the
Council may delegate any of its functions to its
committees or to the Registrar and staff, it is the
Council which remains accountable for the proper
running of the PSI. Under the Pharmacy Act, the
Council has 21 members, of whom only ten are
pharmacists: one nominated by the schools of
pharmacy and nine elected by the members. The
elected pharmacists are not there simply to represent
the interests of practising pharmacists but they do
contribute an important perspective. They use their
experience of the profession and their knowledge of
the realities of pharmacy practice to assist the Council
to make better informed decisions. They ensure that
protection of the public doesn’t become an excuse to
over-regulate or oppress pharmacists and that the very
significant powers of the PSI are exercised in a manner
that is proportionate to actual, not theoretical, risk and
that respects pharmacists’ right to the presumption of
innocence. In addition, as representatives of the source
of all of the PSI’s funding, the elected pharmacists have
an important role in ensuring that resources are
properly managed and prudently spent and that fees
are set at a reasonable level.
Concerns over the PSI’s governance have become
deeper and more widespread in the last year and we
all recognise that there needs to be a sea-change in its
attitude towards the pharmacy profession. However,
pharmacists are in a minority on the Council and so
cannot bring about the necessary change by force of
numbers. Instead, they have to influence their nonpharmacist colleagues on the Council. It is a very
difficult position, requiring tact, diplomacy and dogged
perseverance. Change, if it happens, will be slow; we
will need to be patient and to grant our Council
members the time to achieve results. There are eight
pharmacists nominated for election and all eight are to
be commended for putting their heads above the
parapet. They have volunteered for a position which
carries onerous responsibility, a heavy workload and
little thanks. We offer them our gratitude for their
willingness to sacrifice their time and energy to this
endeavour.
Our role, as members, is to decide which candidates
we believe best understand the issues and have the
experience, the character and the track record to be
most effective and then to vote for those candidates. A
large voter turnout is essential to show that we take
this role seriously; apathy sends the opposite signal. So
use your vote, and make sure your friends do too.
Regards,
1. IPU NATIONAL PHARMACY CONFERENCE AND
AGM, 24-26 APRIL, THE MALTON, KILLARNEY, CO
KERRY
The IPU National Pharmacy Conference will take
place on 24-26 April. The AGM is part of the
conference weekend and is held in two parts.
Reports from the IPU Committees and Secretariat
will be taken at 5.30pm on Friday, 24 April and
the AGM Motions will be taken at 12.30pm on
Sunday, 26 April.
Please remember that you cannot attend the
AGM unless you have paid your Annual
Subscription. The closing date for receipt of
Motions for the AGM is Friday, 3 April.
2. HSE Urinary and Ostomy Reimbursement
Products Review
The HSE has advised that, following the conclusion
of the above review, price changes for a number
of existing Urinary and Ostomy products will be
implemented for 1 April 2015. These changes will
be included on the April 2015 IPU Product File
Updates.
However, as the HSE only provided us with the list
of the products affected at 4pm on the afternoon
of Friday 27th March, the prices have not yet been
verified with suppliers.
Emailed
motions
should
be
sent
to
[email protected] or faxed to 01 493
6626. Alternatively, you can send your motions by
post to Butterfield House.
The HSE has said it is their intention to provide a
further update to the list of reimbursable Urinary
and Ostomy products in mid-April. This additional
update will provide details of new products and
deletions to the list of reimbursable Urinary and
Ostomy products.
Full
Conference
details
www.pharmacyconference.ie.
on
These new product details will be included on the
May 2015 IPU Product File Update.
12 Sessions to choose from at IPU Conference
There is a fantastic line-up of speakers for this
year’s IPU National Pharmacy Conference. The
clinical sessions will be delivered by a range of
speakers, including a number of specialist
consultants from across the country. The business
sessions will be delivered by leading experts,
including top international speakers Kevin Kelly
and Dr Johnny Walker. The conference will give
you the opportunity to attend six educational
sessions over the weekend, supporting you with
your CPD.
3. HSE CONTRACT
a. April HSE PCRS Claim Submission Dates Tuesday, 7 April is Early & Normal Payment Final
Submission Date
In April, the final submission date for transmitting
your electronic claims and paperwork for Early
and Normal payment is Tuesday, 7 April.
are
A breakfast briefing will take place on Saturday
morning. The session, Improving Profitability in
Community Pharmacy will discuss ways to
improve profitability and the benefits of joining a
symbol group. A financial review of the pharmacy
sector will also be presented by Stuart Fitzgerald,
Business Advisory Director, Fitzgerald Power. A
light breakfast will be served.
For further information and to book your place,
log on to www.pharmacyconference.ie .
The HSE PCRS has confirmed that all pharmacies
who transmit their claims by midnight on
Tuesday, 7 April (3rd working day) and whose
paperwork is received in PCRS by close of business
on Tuesday, 7 April, will qualify for early payment.
Pharmacies who continue to send in claims for
manual processing will qualify for normal
payment.
Fixed exception claims need to be transmitted by
midnight on the 8th Working Day, Tuesday, 14
April.
Log on to www.ipu.ie > HSE Contract > Claim
Submission Dates to view a copy of HSE PCRS
Circular 031/14 regarding the 2015 Pharmacy
Claim Submission Dates.
b. Reference Prices – Further Cuts
The Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods)
Act 2013 states that the HSE ‘should review the
reference price set for any group of
interchangeable medicinal products at least once
a year and may, following any such review, set a
new reference price for the relevant group of
interchangeable medicinal products’.
We understand that the HSE is proposing a
second wave of reference price cuts to a very
wide range of commonly dispensed generics.
Current information is that these will be
significant reductions.
We will follow up with the HSE to establish the
exact implementation date for these price cuts
and will publish more details as soon as this
information becomes available to us.
In the meantime, you are advised to manage
your stocks carefully over the coming months in
order to minimise your losses.
The HSE has said that it would give a minimum of
four weeks’ notice before changing a reference
price, as per the legislation.
The HSE confirmed that it was their intention to
implement any price changes on the 1st of the
month (unless DoH says otherwise). Reference
prices will be determined by reviewing prices in all
other EU Member States, taking into account any
previous agreements in place, e.g. IPHA
Agreement, and also considering security of
supply concerns.
4. PROFESSIONAL
a. Health Screening Training
We are delighted to announce another IPU/Irish
Heart Foundation Cardiovascular Risk Assessment
Training for Pharmacists, which will take place on
21 April in Dublin. To register for this highly
sought after course, log on to www.ipu.ie >
Training & HR > Health Screening Training and
download the registration form. The cost of the
course is €250, including lunch, teas/coffees and
course material. We also recommend that you use
IPU NET for your health screening service. IPU NET
provides a patient-specific consent form and
report, which will give a more professional look
and feel to your service. It will also supply the IPU
with aggregated anonymised information to assist
us in evaluating the service on your behalf.
b. Data Protection Booklet
You will have recently received a booklet detailing
all you need to know about Data Protection. We
recommend that all pharmacy staff read this
booklet, even those who do not have access to
confidential records, to ensure that they are
aware of the principles of data protection. Log on
to www.ipu.ie > Professional Assistance >
Guidelines & Protocols for data protection
templates to customise for your pharmacy.
c. Veterinary Register
A record of all purchases and sales of POM,
POM(E), PS and LM animal remedies, both
incoming and outgoing transactions, must be
maintained in the pharmacy. This record must
contain:
• The date the transaction occurred;
• The precise identity of the animal remedy (i.e.
name, form, strength) or medicinal product;
• The quantity received or supplied;
• The name and address of the supplier or
purchaser;
• The manufacturer’s batch number of the
product received/supplied;
• Where the transaction relates to the supply of
a prescription only medicine (POM), the serial
number of the veterinary prescription.
You don’t have to keep this record for purchases
and sales of companion animal medicines (CAM).
The legislation requires the record to be kept for
five years.
In addition, pharmacists must, at least once a
year, carry out an audit to reconcile incoming and
outgoing supplies with supplies currently in stock
and any discrepancies shall be specifically
recorded and this record shall be retained and
made available at the premises for inspection by
an authorised officer for a period of not less than
five years.
d. IPU Academy Webinars
IPU Academy is pleased to announce the following
webinars in association with MSD:
Inflammatory Bowel Disease Webinar
Date: Tuesday 14 April (7.30 to 8.30pm)
Venue: River Lee Hotel, Cork City
Speaker: Dr Jane McCarthy, Gastroenterologist
Mercy University Hospital, Cork
The aim of this webinar is to provide an overview
of the patient journey over from pharmacy/
primary care to secondary care and understanding
how inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can be
misinterpreted as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Please contact Lorraine Carr 087 057 9331
[email protected] to attend the live event
or alternatively log onto www.ipuacademy.ie to
participate in the broadcast webinar.
The Management of Stroke Webinar
Date: Thursday 16 April (7.30 to 8.30pm)
Venue: Clayton Hotel, Ballybrit, Galway
Speaker: Dr Ronan Collins, Consultant Geriatrician
AMNCH, Dublin
The aim of this webinar is to review the role of
anticoagulants in reducing the risk of stroke and
describe the options for treating atrial fibrillation.
Please contact Siobhan Maloney 087 064 2677
[email protected] to attend the live
event or log on to www.ipuacademy.ie to
participate in the broadcast webinar.
e. Launch of new CPD ePortfolio for Pharmacists
The Irish Institute of Pharmacy (IIOP) has
confirmed that, with effect from 27 March, all
registered Pharmacists and Pharmaceutical
Assistants have access to the IIOP ePortfolio.
According to the IIOP, the ePortfolio will provide a
valuable support to pharmacists in planning and
recording their continuing professional development (CPD), hence this marks an exciting step in
the development of a CPD system to support Irish
pharmacists.
A Quick-Start Guide has been posted to all
pharmacists to help them to get started using
their IIOP ePortfolio. It also directs pharmacists to
more detailed resources for further information
and support. ePortfolio Information Sessions will
be held nationwide which can now be booked on
the website (www.iiop.ie).
f. Naloxone Cascade Training
The HSE is launching a National Demonstration
Project on Naloxone. This will be prescribed and
used by service users throughout the duration of
the project. The product's availability will be
limited to four areas: Dublin, Limerick, Waterford
City and Cork City, as advised by data from the
NDRDI.
The HSE has asked us to advise IPU members that,
as part of the project, Naloxone cascade training
took place in Dublin on 25/26 March and will take
place at other locations in April and May. All
members are invited to attend. For further
information log on to www.ipu.ie > Training & HR
> Naloxone Cascade Training.
If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to
Nicola Corrigan [email protected] or
[email protected] and indicate your preferred
date and time in the email. Places will be
allocated according to availability. We will notify
you of the dates, times and locations of additional
training sessions once they are confirmed.
g. Postgraduate Certificate in Health Promotion
NUI Galway has asked us to circulate details of
their one-year distance education programme
Postgraduate Certificate in Health Promotion –
Approaches to Cardiovascular Health and
Diabetes Prevention, in partnership with the Irish
Heart Foundation, Diabetes Ireland and the
National Institute for Preventive Cardiology.
For this programme, a primary degree at any level
is required.
The programme aims to provide candidates with
professional education and training in the
principles and practice of health promotion as
applied to the promotion of cardiovascular health
and diabetes prevention.
Further information is available from Ms Anne
O’Grady, Discipline of Health Promotion, NUI
Galway
at
091
493644
/
[email protected]. Applications can be
made online at www.nuigalway/apply.
h. Alleged Forged Rx
The IPU has been notified of an alleged forged
private Rx purporting to have been issued from
Longford Medical, Longford Medical Park,
Ballyminion, Co Longford.
If you receive a Rx from Longford Medical and you
are not satisfied that it is authentic, please
contact them on 043 334 5223.
5. BUSINESS
a. Review of the Community Pharmacy Sector in
Ireland 2013/14
A copy of the Review of the Community Pharmacy
Sector in Ireland 2013/14, which was
commissioned to Fitzgerald Power on our behalf,
is available on www.ipu.ie > Communications &
Events > Publications.
The Review provides an overview of the
community pharmacy sector in Ireland in
2013/14. It describes the healthcare role of
community pharmacists, looks at the international
context and profiles national medicine demands.
The financial performance and the economic
contribution of the sector are also highlighted.
The Review is an important service provided by
the IPU to members, outlines the changing profile
of the sector and provides you with the
opportunity to benchmark against others. As the
contents are extremely relevant to all pharmacists
we hope that you take the time to read and
analyse the report. Also, those who completed
the survey as part of the Review should have
already received a comprehensive online
Benchmarking Tool, confirming how your
pharmacy has performed over the previous 12
months in comparison to other pharmacies in the
survey.
b. Business Training
There are only four places left on the IPU Business
Academy Customer Services and Complaint
handling workshop in Butterfield House on 22
April. Log on to www.ipu.ie > Training & HR >
Business Training to book your place on this
training programme.
Due to the demand for places at our Sales &
Merchandising workshops in March we will be
holding a further workshop on 20 April in
Butterfield House. Log on to www.ipu.ie >
Training & HR > Business Training to book your
place on this training programme.
c. Health Market Research Ireland (hmR)
The IPU, together with the Portuguese Pharmacy
Association (ANF), will shortly be rolling out its
new business intelligence service to be delivered
by hmR. This unique new service, called Pharmacy
Watch, will be going live in May and will allow
participating pharmacies to see trends or changes
in product mix as well as transaction values across
the sector and within their own businesses. The
service will provide participants with access to
accurate and up-to-date information to assist
them in running their business more efficiently
and in benchmarking performance against the
local and national pharmacy market.
The data will be completely anonymised and
aggregated, and the reports will not allow
individual pharmacies to be identified. If you have
not registered yet with hmR Ireland and wish to
avail of their new state-of-the-art business
intelligence service, you can do so by logging on
https://hmrireland.wufoo.eu/forms/healthmarket-research-ireland/ and completing the
online registration form.
For further information, contact John Donnelly at
[email protected].
d. Security Alert
We have received a number of Security Calls
recently and would like to highlight the following:
 There has been an increase in the number of
calls involving pharmacy overnight break-ins,
particularly in the Dublin area; and
 When receiving a delivery, please take extra
care with the new stock as thieves may be
targeting pharmacy deliveries.
 We received a report of an unsolicited call
being made to a pharmacy in relation to their
pharmacy alarm/CCTV systems. Please ensure
that you know the identity of anyone to
whom you give details of your security
systems.
Please continue to be extra vigilant with regard to
security in your pharmacy. Ensure that you have
opening and closing procedures in place and that
all staff are briefed and familiar with those
procedures. If you have experienced a break-in,
raid, attempted raid, hold-up or attempted holdup in your pharmacy, please inform both the
Gardaí and the IPU.
Aoife Garrigan in the HSE Contract Unit deals with
the reporting and monitoring of pharmacy raids
and can be contacted at [email protected] /
01 493 6401. We also provide a Security Pack,
which includes advice on keeping your pharmacy
secure, how to deal with suspected thieves and
more. If you would like a Security Pack, please
contact Aoife.
Darren Kelly, Business Development Manager,
provides advice to members on all issues around
pharmacy security and liaises with the Gardaí. He
can be contacted at [email protected] or on the
direct business line at 01 406 1558.
e. Cash Processing/Purchasing
Following the increase in bank charges for lodging
cash, we have negotiated a group rate for IPU
members for cash processing/purchasing with
G4S. G4S Cash Solutions is licensed by the Private
Security Authority and the National Standards
Authority of Ireland. They conform to I.S. 998
Cash-in-Transit quality standard and all their
security personnel are PSA licensed. G4S is a
member of the Irish Security Industry Association.
Log on to www.ipu.ie > Business Assistance >
Banking for further information and pricing
details.
6. TRAINING
IPU Supervisory Development Course
The IPU Supervisory Development Course is a new
initiative to add to our current training portfolio.
This course is an introduction to Leadership and
Management and is targeted at candidates who
are in a supervisory or management role or aspire
to be in the future. This interactive workshop will
be delivered over two days, one month apart. For
further information and an application form on
this course go to www.ipu > Training & HR >
Supervisory Development Course or telephone
Darren, Janice or Susan on 01 493 6401.
7. COMMUNICATIONS
Pharmacy in the Media
The IPU met with the Joint Oireachtas Committee
on Health and Children in March to discuss the
price of medicines. There was significant media
coverage of this, quoting IPU representatives
warning that if prices continue to fall, it may lead
to further medicines shortages. Interviews were
carried on Newstalk (Breakfast Show and
Lunchtime Show) and media coverage was also
received on RTÉ Radio One’s News at One, RTE.ie,
the Irish Times, Irish Independent and Irish
Examiner.
Many photographs of the Technician’s Graduation
at the beginning of March were published in
regional newspapers across the country.
A press release was issued at the end of the
month warning parents of some risks when giving
children medicine. Media coverage was received
in the Irish Examiner and Daily Mirror, as well as
regional media.
8. PSI COUNCIL ELECTIONS
We wish all the candidates in the upcoming
elections to the PSI Council every success.
Community Pharmacy needs a strong voice on
Council and it is vitally important that you vote. A
list of the candidates is available on
www.thepsi.ie.
9. PHARMACY BENEVOLENT FUND (PBF)
The PBF has asked us to remind you that 31 May
is the closing date for entry to the 2015 PBF Draw.
The subscription is €250. Cheques should be made
payable to ‘Pharmacy Benevolent Fund Ltd’ and
posted to Pharmacy Benevolent Fund Draw, c/o 3
Rossmore Avenue, Dublin 6W. If you wish to pay
by credit or debit card please donate via the
mycharity.ie page; the link to this page can be
accessed by clicking the mycharity button on
www.pbf.ie. Please donate €250, mark your
donation “draw” and include your name with the
donation so that you can be included in the draw.
The Pharmacy Benevolent Fund (PBF) is a lifeline
for members of the pharmacy profession who
have fallen on hard times. The PBF not only
provides financial assistance but it also offers a
hand of friendship though personal visits,
telephone calls and letters. There has never been
a greater need for the PBF. You are invited to
attend a PBF meeting at 5.30pm on Saturday 25
April at the IPU National Conference to learn
more about the work of the PBF and how you can
help make a difference. The PBF is struggling to
meet ends meet, so please support it if you can.
Thank you for your continued support and, as
ever, please keep us informed on any issues of
concern to you.
Kind regards,
_______________________
Darragh J O’Loughlin,
Secretary General.
This communication is the property of the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU). The contents of this communication are confidential to
IPU members and should not be forwarded to a third party. If you receive this communication in error, please return to the IPU.
©2015 Copyright. All Rights Reserved, Irish Pharmacy Union.