Community Pharmacy Home Delivery Service during the COVID-19 outbreak

(decommissioned from 31st March 2021 for the clinically vulnerable patient group originally intended for*)

* The service is currently only ACTIVE for people notified of the need to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace in all areas of England from 1st April 2021 onwards.

 

Update: February 2021 – Service further extended until 31st March 2021

Following the 19th February 2021 Government announcement of the commencement of a new national lockdown in England, NHSE&I have published a further letter to extend the Pandemic Delivery Service to everywhere in England. Please note the service is commissioned from 19th February 2021 until 31st March 2021. Further details are available in the following publication, as well as on the PSNC website:

Update: January 2021 – Service extended until 21st February 2021

Following the 4th January 2021 Government announcement of the commencement of a new national lockdown in England, NHSE&I have published a further letter to extend the Pandemic Delivery Service to everywhere in England. Please note the service is commissioned from 5th January 2021 until 21st February 2021. Further details are available in the following publication, as well as on the PSNC website:

Update: December 2020 - Service recommissioned from 21st December until 18th January 2021

There has been a sudden increase in community transmission of COVID-19 predominantly in South-East England. The Government has announced updated local tier restrictions in response to the increasing transmission of COVID-19 for England for the period 21st December to 18th January 2021.

People who are clinically extremely vulnerable will be advised by the Government not to go to a pharmacy. The Community Pharmacy Home Delivery Service and the Dispensing Doctor Home Delivery Service will be commissioned in accordance with the Home delivery of medicines and appliances during the COVID-19 outbreak: service specifications and guidance for all patients on the Shielded Patient List in England from 21st December until 18th January 2021.

Further details are available in the following publication*:

* Since the publishing of the above letter, further areas have been added to Tier 4 including:

  • Hampshire (all areas except New Forest)
  • Southampton

Update: November 2020 - Service recommissioned from 5th November until 3rd December 2020

Over recent weeks there has been a sustained increase in community transmission of COVID-19 in England. The Government has announced new national restrictions in response to increasing transmission of COVID-19 for England for the period 5th November to 2nd December 2020.

People who are clinically extremely vulnerable will be advised by the Government not to go to a pharmacy. The Community Pharmacy Home Delivery Service and the Dispensing Doctor Home Delivery Service will be commissioned in accordance with the Home delivery of medicines and appliances during the COVID-19 outbreak: service specifications and guidance for all patients on the Shielded Patient List in England from 5th November until 3rd December 2020.

Further details are available in the following two publications:

Update: June 2020 - Service extended until 31st July

Community Pharmacy Home Delivery Service

Delivery to specified, eligible patients who, due to their medical condition, should not present in the pharmacy and where no other person is able to collect the item from the pharmacy and deliver it to them

Background

While patients meeting the COVID-19 shielding criteria1 need to stay at home and away from community pharmacy and dispensing doctor premises, they must be offered a home delivery option for their prescription items unless a family member, friend, relative or volunteer can collect the medicine for them.

The National Health Service (Amendments Relating to the Provision of Primacy Care Services During a pandemic etc.) Regulations 2020 came into effect on 27 March 2020 and provide for such an announcement.

Medicines delivery services will be commissioned from both pharmacies and dispensing doctors across England from 9 April 2020 until 1 July 2020 in the first instance but may be extended as necessary as part of the COVID-19 response.

Essential Service

For community pharmacies, there is a change to essential services that places a responsibility on pharmacy contractors to make sure that a home delivery option is available to people at high risk of complications from COVID-19 who are advised to isolate at home for 12 weeks and meet the ‘shielding’ criteria. This option has to be offered if their prescription items cannot be collected and delivered by a family member, friend, carer or volunteer. These patients are flagged as being in this group on the web version of their Summary Care Record.

A monthly payment will be made for the period this service is commissioned recognising the administration required in assessing eligibility of patients, supporting the alternative of using volunteers to deliver prescription items and associated processing and advice. As Distance Selling Pharmacies are already contractually required to deliver medicines they have dispensed, they will not be eligible to receive the payment associated with provision of this essential service. This and further details are outlined in the Essential Service Guidance (see below)

Advanced service

This is being commissioned to pay a ‘per delivery fee’ where the patient cannot make their own arrangements for the prescription items to be collected and no suitable volunteer can be found, and the pharmacy therefore themselves delivers medicines to the patient. If a pharmacy does not wish to take part in the advanced service, as part of their essential services they may work with another pharmacy to deliver medicines on their behalf, or they must find another pharmacy who will dispense and deliver the medicine. As Distance Selling Pharmacies are already contractually required to deliver medicines they have dispensed, they will not be eligible to provide this Advanced Service.

Please note reference to the 'Essential Service' guidance provided above regarding use of NHS Volunteer Responders where there is no family, friend, neighbour or carer available to act upon the 'shielded1' persons behalf before providing the 'Advanced service'

The following resources have also been produced for easy tracking of deliveries made suing this new service:

1 www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable- persons-from-COVID-19/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from- COVID-19

PSNC information

Full information and guidance on the new service is also available on the following PSNC website news article: