We reported on 22nd June 2020, that the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care had announced the Government’s plans to change the guidance for the 2.2 million people who have been shielding since the start of the pandemic. Consequently, the Government’s shielding support package, including the Pandemic Delivery Service (both the Terms of Service requirements and the Advanced service), would terminate on 31st July 2020.

Due to the emergence of local outbreaks in various areas across England, the Secretary of State has decided that the pandemic delivery service requirements should continue to apply from 1st to 31st August 2020, but only for shielded patients who live in the following local outbreak areas:

• The original Leicester lockdown area, announced on 29th June 2020 (Postcodes);
• Blackburn with Darwen (Postcodes); and
• Luton (Postcodes).

This change to the service requirements was announced in a letter published by NHS England and NHS Improvement today and the service is initially being commissioned for one month. Further announcements may be made depending on Government advice and decisions.

The Terms of Service requirements therefore continue to apply to all contractors in England, but as they only relate to shielded patients living in the three local outbreak areas, it is very unlikely that contractors, other than those located in and close to the three areas, will need to provide support with delivery of prescriptions to those shielded patients.

PSNC has therefore agreed that contractors located in the three local outbreak areas will continue to receive the Essential service payment in August 2020, but the payment will cease, as previously planned, for all other contractors.

If a contractor (excluding Distance Selling Pharmacies), located anywhere in England, is asked to deliver a prescription to a shielded patient living in one of the three local outbreak areas, this can continue to be done during August, under the terms of the Advanced service and a claim for payment can be made by 5th September 2020 via the Manage Your Service (MYS) platform.

Further information on the service can be found here

Drug Tariff determination regarding this change

All contractors – submit your existing claims by 5th August

Contractors must submit their existing claims for payment for delivery of medicines under the Advanced Service via the MYS platform by 5th August 2020.

Payment for the Essential service will be made automatically for July 2020.