Published: 13/11/19

Introduction

This circular provides NHS Boards and community pharmacy contractors with details of the financial support being made available for staff training for the period 1 November 2019 – 31 March 2020.

Detail

Circular PCA(P)(2019)17, issued on 22nd August 2019, set out the details of financial support for staff training available to community pharmacy contractors for courses undertaken/completed in the first part of the 2019/20 financial year up until 31 October 2019. This circular carries over these arrangements for the remainder of the financial year for courses that are being undertaken during the period 1 November 2019 - 31 March 2020 and have not yet been claimed for.

Funding for staff training will be met from the centrally held Pharmaceutical Services line.

The courses for which support funding is available are:

• Pharmacy Services Level 2: NVQ/SVQ;

• Pharmacy Services Level 3: NVQ/SVQ;

• Accredited Checking Technician: NPA Accuracy in Dispensing Training Module or equivalent; and

• SQA Professional Development Award (PDA) in Final Accuracy Checking by Pharmacy Technicians

Claims

Each contractor, i.e. each community pharmacy, will be able to claim £800 as a contribution towards their costs in putting a permanent member of their staff through one or more of the courses listed above. No more than £800 per contractor is payable in any given financial year (April – March) and claims must be submitted by the date detailed in paragraph 8 below.

The claim and payment process will be managed by NHS Education for Scotland (NES) Pharmacy with resources available with immediate effect.

Payment will be made on submission of evidence that a member of the claimant/contractor’s staff is about to commence, has commenced or has completed a listed course during the period 1 November 2019 – 31 March 2020. Eligible evidence will be one or more of the following documents:

• Copy invoice of the cost of the training course;

• Letter of registration to the course signed by the training provider; or

• Copy certificate of course completion.

Claims should be submitted, on the form attached at Annex A together with the required documentation, to Anne Watson, NES (see address details on the form) by Tuesday 31 March 2020. It is imperative that claims are received by this deadline and any late submissions will not be accepted for payment. If a contractor has already received a contribution of £800 in the 2019/20 financial year then no further monies are payable.

It is our intention to restructure the arrangements for staff training funding from April 2020 onwards. Notification of any revised arrangements will be issued on completion of this work.