Is the requirement for all pharmacies to be fully HLP compliant as of 1 Jan 2021 still active?

Yes, pharmacy contractors are still required to be compliant with the changes to the system of clinical governance including the promotion of healthy living requirements by 1st Jan 2021.

What about Distance Selling Pharmacies?

With effect from 1st April 2021, pharmacy contractors operating distance selling premises are required to have a website on which there is an interactive page that promotes healthy lifestyles to meet the HLP requirements.

Will all pharmacies have to have a Health Champion & HLP Lead in place on 1 Jan?

The workforce development requirements of HLP require that each pharmacy has a Health Champion and HLP Lead in place. Where a health champion or HLP Lead leaves the employment of the contractor and this means no trained health champion or HLP Lead respectively is in post, the contractor must put in place an action plan to recruit or train a staff member to replace the missing role as the as soon as possible and within six months at the latest of the previous staff member leaving.

As this is an Essential Service – are pharmacies that are not compliant in breach?

The announcement from PSNC on the service changes announced that the Community Pharmacy Assurance Framework will not run in 2020/21, but this will run as normal in 2021/22. Therefore from April 2021, contractors could be asked for evidence of compliance with Essential Services requirements as part of the CPAF. NHSE&I have not announced any flexibility with regards to the contractual requirements related to HLP. The indication that NHSE&I will initially adopt a light touch approach to contractual assurance with regards to the service relates to the Discharge Medicines Service only. Therefore contractors not meeting the requirements for HLP could be seen as in breach. While we have asked that NHSE&I do not pursue any breach notices as part of their flexible approach to support contractors during the pandemic, we would encourage contractors to avoid situations which could put them in breach of their Terms of Service.

See also: Healthy Living Pharmacies : PSNC Main site