COVID-19
All information required can be found on the CPE Covid-19 Hub
A wealth of useful and practical information is available from the following key organisations on their websites:
- Community Pharmacy England, CPE (NB there are a number of useful FAQs here)
- General Pharmaceutical Council, GPhC
- Royal Pharmaceutical Society, RPSg
- National Pharmacy Association, NPA
The GPhC has published and will continue to publish new standards in their knowledge hub that helpfully clarifies some of the key areas for COVID-19 that may be causing you queries such as working with other pharmacies and volunteer groups. The standards will continue to be updated with new areas as and when they arise. This can be found on the knowledge hub of the GPhC website.
The pathway for community access to COVID-19 treatment is changing from 1 April 2024. Eligible patients reporting a positive test should be advised to call 111 urgently for an assessment for COVID-19 treatments.
Hertfordshire and West Essex (HWE) Integrated Care Board (ICB) has commissioned Hertfordshire Urgent Care (HUC) to clinically assess patients who contact them with a positive COVID test with the highest risk of an adverse COVID-19 outcome. Following assessment of the patient including for eligibility in line with national recommendations, if appropriate and clinically suitable a COVID-19 oral antiviral may be prescribed. HUC will issue an eFP10 and advise the patient or patient’s representative to contact the community pharmacy to arrange supply.
Oral antivirals for treating COVID-19, Paxlovid® (nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir) and Lagevrio® (Molnupiravir), are available to order by community pharmacies. from Alliance Healthcare. This stock is being provided free of charge for NHS prescriptions by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). The Drug Tariff reflects a nominal reimbursement fee and dispensed prescriptions will generate a single activity fee. This supports the transition of community-based COVID-19 treatments into routine care pathways, enabling community pharmacies to supply against a prescription, as for any other medicine prescribed on a FP10.
As these are two new medications you will be dispensing, HWE ICB has developed a supportive presentation which may help you and your pharmacy team to become familiar with these and have the necessary knowledge to dispense safely and be able to counsel the patient.
HUC is giving advice to patients that a representative should collect the medicines rather than the patient themselves and there is no expectation on your pharmacy to deliver the medicines to the patient’s home unless this is already part of your service offering.
Next steps:
- Please let your teams know that you may start receiving prescriptions from HUC from 1 April 2024. In preparation for this date, please consider how you will order this stock as a prescription should be dispensed on the same day as prescribed due to the nature of the condition.
- Please refer to the HWE ICB presentation to help support staff dispense safely and counsel patient or patient representative.
- Should a situation arise where you are presented with a FP10 for Paxlovid® (nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir) which you are unable to fulfil, please support the patient with identifying a neighbouring pharmacy which does hold stock, so that treatment can be accessed as soon as possible.
CPH has requested that HUC contact details for prescription queries should be provided to all community pharmacies and that a training event should be considered and offered to support community pharmacists.
For any queries, please contact hweicbhv.medicinesoptimisationteam@nhs.net.
Community Pharmacy COVID-19 Vaccination Sites
Please note that the following community pharmacies in Hertfordshire are currently commissioned as COVID-19 vaccination sites outlined below:
Bengeo
- Avenue, SG14 3DU
Berkhamsted
- HH Dickman, HP4 1BB
- Hubert Figg, HP4 2BW
Bishops Stortford
- Hobbs, CM23 5JH
- Trinity, CM23 3AL
Borehamwood
- Green Light, WD6 1QX
- Med Mart, WD6 1JN
- Wellswood, WD6 1PU
Bovingdon
- Manor, HP3 0HG
Brookmans Park
- Jhoots, AL9 7QR
Broxbourne
- Day Lewis, EN10 6FD
- Laxtons, EN10 7HX
Bushey/Bushey Heath
- Abell, WD23 2NN
- Heath, WD23 1GE
- Lister, WD23 1EE
Cheshunt
- Cheshunt, EN7 5DJ
- Clayton, EN8 8NQ
- Cristals, EN8 8LF
- Lex, EN7 6QQ
Codicote
- Codicote, SG4 8UB
Croxley Green
- New Road, WD3 3HD
Elstree
- Elstree, WD6 3BY
Harpenden
- Manor – Leyton Green, AL5 2TE
- Manor – Southdown Road, AL5 1PU
- Springfield, AL5 2RU
- Topkins, AL5 4SE
Hatfield
- Jade – Town Centre, AL10 0JT
- Jade – Robin Hood Lane, AL10 0LP
Hemel Hempstead
- Fernville, HP2 5BL
- Grovehill, HP2 6BJ
- Nash, HP1 2HX
- Queens Square, HP2 4ER
- Speedwell, HP3 9SQ
- Village, HP3 8QG
- Woodhall, HP2 7QH
Hertford
- Jade, SG14 1HZ
Hitchin
- Bell, SG5 1JW
- Care Rx, SG5 1NQ
- Cross, SG5 2NQ
Hoddesdon
- Hoddesdon, EN11 8EP
- Jade, EN11 8TJ
- Ware Cross, EN11 9FF
Knebworth
- Pharmacy Express, SG3 6ER
Leavesden
- Abbotswood Park, WD25 7NL
Letchworth
- Birch, SG6 1BH
- Grange, SG6 4NB
- Jackmans, SG6 2NH
- Letchworth, SG6 3BF
London Colney
- Well, AL2 1EJ
Potters Bar
- Questmoor, EN6 5AT
Puckeridge
- iMed, SG11 1RN
Radlett
- Manor, WD7 7LB
Redbourn
- Crown, AL3 7LW
Rickmansworth
- Delite, WD3 7BQ
Sawbridgeworth
- Village, CM21 9AR
Shenley
- Crown, WD7 9LP
South Oxhey
- Esom, WD19 7EU
- Lex, WD19 6FR
St Albans
- Bricket Wood, AL2 3QB
- Crescent, AL4 9RG
- How Wood, AL2 2RA
- iMed, AL1 3FY
- Jade, AL1 3ET
- Jade – Maltings, AL1 3JB
- Jade – Russell Avenue, AL3 5ES
- Jhoots, AL4 0AZ
- Normandy, AL3 5PE
- Quadrant, AL4 9RB
- St Albans, AL1 5PX
- Verulam, AL3 4JZ
Stanstead Abbotts
- Village, SG12 8AQ
Stevenage
- Archer, SG1 5HF
- Bedwell, SG1 1NA
- Oaks Cross, SG2 8LU
- Stevenage, SG2 7QX
- SL Anderson, SG2 9SE
- Well, SG2 8ET
Tring
- Pyramid – Chapel Street, HP23 6BL
- Pyramid – High Street, HP23 4AG
- Rooneys, HP23 5BN
Watford
- Chagcrest, WD24 7PD
- FT Taylor, WD24 5LL
- Greenfield, WD18 6NT
- Hintons, WD17 1AW
- John Davis, WD18 0JP
- Tudorken, WD24 6PQ
Welham Green
- Kean, AL9 7DY
Welwyn
- Barnes, AL6 9EQ
- Bridge Cottage, AL6 9EF
Welwyn Garden City
- Knightsfield, AL8 7RH
Wheathampstead
- Manor, AL4 8AA
Wormley
- Croft, EN10 6HT
View pharmacies in Hertfordshire and West Essex registered to provide COVID-19 vaccinations.
We will update the list of pharmacies as soon as we are aware of any changes.
The CPH office has put in support to those that are currently live and have worked with the system to ensure that community pharmacy provision is optimised for those that want to get involved in the COVID-19 vaccination programme. Please note that the local system is no longer actively seeking expressions of interest for further pharmacies to be designated as community pharmacy vaccination sites.
Further information on the COVID-19 vaccination programme particularly to advise patients can be found on the Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care System website.
Please click here for a list of pharmacy contractors offering the Spring 2024 Covid booster vaccination.
Covid Newsletter – March 2024
The Lateral Flow Device Test Supply Service is an advanced service where community pharmacy contractors will need to register via NHSBSA’s MYS portal in order to provide the service. The service will be available to register on the MYS portal from 6 November 2023.
This is a walk-in service where patients/patients’ representatives can collect one box of five LFD tests from a participating community pharmacy, on confirmation that the patient is part of the cohort which is potentially eligible for COVID-19 treatments.
Operational Note from NHS England (updated 14.3.24)
For further information and resources please visit the CPE website.
Pharmacies in Hertfordshire and west Essex registered to provide the Lateral Flow Device Service (updated 23.4.24)
Virtual Outcomes
Virutal Outcomes have produced an 8 minute video on how to deliver this new advanced service. The course will cover, who is eligible for the free LFD tests, how to identify them and how to claim. Please note, CPH currently do not subscribe to Virtual Outcomes and pharmacies will have to subscribe to access the training.