PQS: a few updates…
PharmOutcomes support – asthma referrals
Community pharmacy contractors can now access an asthma referral service on PharmOutcomes for the Pharmacy Quality Scheme (PQS). This is available free of charge to all contractors.
This service allows contractors to record patient details who have consented to be referred to their GP practice if they meet the criteria* in the ‘Personalised asthma action plans and promoting spacer device use in children prescribed pressurised metered dose inhalers’ quality criterion, which is part of the Respiratory Domain. When this data is saved on PharmOutcomes, a referral will automatically be sent to the patient’s GP practice (if an NHSmail email address is held for that GP practice within PharmOutcomes).
This service can be accessed by logging into PharmOutcomes, selecting ‘Services’; and then the service is listed under the heading ‘Quality criterion – Asthma referrals’.
An assessment framework, which allows contractors and their teams to track their progress with achieving the gateway and quality criteria/domains of the PQS will be available on PharmOutcomes shortly; PSNC will highlight when this is available through our normal communication channels.
*Please note, when you access this service, it will show both the options for a spacer device and personalised asthma action plan. However, when you enter the patient’s date of birth, the spacer device question will be removed, if the patient is 16 years or over.
Banding for PQS 2021/22
The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) has published a spreadsheet detailing the banding that pharmacies have been put into for PQS 2021/22.
The maximum number of points for each domain is dependent on a banding system based on a contractor’s total prescription item volume between 1st April 2020 and 31st March 2021 according to the NHSBSA’s payment data; the banding system aims to better reflect the workload of meeting the requirements of PQS for different contractors, acknowledging varying workloads.
Further information on how the points allocation works and funding for the Scheme is available on the PSNC PQS hub page (under the ‘Funding for the scheme section’).
Pharmacy PCN Lead spreadsheet
NHSBSA has published an updated version of their Pharmacy PCN Lead spreadsheet based on information provided by LPCs; the spreadsheet lists information on all the Pharmacy PCN Leads across the country. This will continue to be updated prior to the PQS declaration period on a regular basis to assist contractors (who have met this domain when they make their PQS declaration) to access the information required about their PCN Lead when completing their declaration.
