Community Pharmacy

Frequently Asked Questions

Minor Ailment Service

Key Activities

Q1: I am a new Pharmacy, is there a checklist of key activities I need to do for eMAS?
A checklist of activities is available on the website via the following link: Implementation Checklists

Patient Registration

Q2: How do I let people know about MAS? Can I advertise the service?
Information leaflets and posters have been supplied for display within your pharmacy. You can order further supplies from:

Lynda Riding :

Tel: 0131 629 9938
Fax: 0131 629 9967
email:stockorders.DPPAS@apsgroup.co.uk

Q3: What information is essential to successfully register a patient? Do I need to know the CHI number?
You require the following information to successfully register a patient for MAS:
Family Name/Surname;
Postcode;
Date of Birth;
Gender.
The CHI number is not required, as your PMR system will link to the national CHI system. The CHI number will then be inserted into the electronic message and returned back to your PMR system.
Q4: Do I need to ask patients about their exemption from NHS prescription charges before registering them for MAS
Yes. The usual point of dispensing arrangements for seeking proof of exemption apply for MAS.
Q5: I have had patients sitting at pending for a few days.
There can be a number of reasons for a pending message. The most common is that the transaction has not been able to process automatically and requires PSD operator intervention - it can potentially take 7 days for an operator to intervene.
Results of a pending transaction will eventually be returned to you as part of your daily 'registration update'. If your PMR does not run this process automatically, please ensure that you request it manually on a daily basis.
Remember if you are ever unsure of a patient's registration status, including patient's in pending, then you can initiate a registration status request which will query the PRS database to determine the status of the patient.
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Q6: I have had a patient come back as rejected but I know they are eligible for eMAS.
Ensure that the correct DOB has been entered, that the PC clock is correct, that the correct gender and correct exemption reason has been chosen. If all these sections have been completed correctly you can contact the ePharmacy Helpdesk and they will look into why this has been rejected.
Q7: How do I submit my CP2 forms?
You should treat these forms like any other prescription; they should be kept together and put at the back of the exempt category. Remember to enter the total number of forms on the GP34 and ensure that all prescriptions are face-up with the barcode to the left hand side when submitted, as this helps the scanning process. When including consultation CP2s, remember to count the total number of items.
Q8: I have registered a patient and didn't have the CHI number. It has printed off a CP2 form and the CHI number ends in a 9.
You do not need to enter a CHI number for a registration. A dummy CHI prints off on the CP2. The final digit relates to the century the patient was born in - 8 is for 1800's 9 is for 1900's and 0 is for 2000's.
Q9: Why has the CHI number not printed on the CP2 after carrying out a consultation?
If the CHI number is not held on your PMR system when you carry out a consultation, the CP2 will print but the CHI number field will be blank. You must set that CP2 aside until your system receives the CHI number electronically, then handwrite it on the CP2 before submitting it for payment.
Q10: When I register a patient for MAS the CP2 does not print?
Follow your PMR supplier instructions for re-printing. If this is unsuccessful contact your PMR supplier for further advice.
Please ensure that your system does not print duplicate CP2s. If you are aware of this happening, please contact your PMR supplier for advice.
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Q11: If a patient asks for advice/referral do I complete a CP2 form?
Yes, If you complete a CP2 form indicating advice/referral the registration status for that patient will roll on for another year.
Q12: How am I notified if a person's MAS registration has been rejected?
You will be notified electronically in one of two ways:
If the registration contains errors that allow the rejection to be made automatically by PRS, you will receive an instant message back stating that the registration has been rejected. Different PMR systems display reasons for rejections in different ways. You may wish to check with your PMR supplier about how this information is displayed to you. However, error messages are standard messages regardless of the PMR system.
If the registration request contains errors that require to be investigated by an operator (for example if no direct CHI match is found and the manual matching process is required) then the registration goes into a 'pending' state on your PMR system.
The next working day after the PRS operator has processed (and in this example rejected) the error, details of the rejection are made available for you to pick-up in your 'registration update'. Some PMR systems automatically request a 'registration update' on a daily basis, but other systems require you to manually initiate this process. You should check this with your PMR supplier as part of your MAS training.
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Incentives/Inducements

Q13: Are pharmacists allowed to offer or accept incentives or inducements to encourage patients to register for MAS?
No. You must provide MAS without promising, offering or giving any incentive, gift, reward or inducement to patients to register with you for the service. Under the current NHS regulations pharmacists cannot offer such incentives and this will continue through into the new regulations underpinning the new community pharmacy contract. You also should uphold the professional guidance on this matter issued by the RPSGB. Currently this is set out in the RPSGB Code of Ethics and Standards.
Additionally, community pharmacy contractors should not offer financial rewards or incentives to or set targets for employee pharmacists or staff to recruit patients for the MAS.

Stationery

Q14: Who should I contact to be supplied with eMAS stationery?
Your NHS Board will keep supplies of all the stationery forms (CP2/3, A4). Supplies should be ordered through your Board contact in the usual way. You should make sure you know the time needed to order and receive additional supplies of stationery from your Board, in order to ensure that you do not run out of forms before your next supply.
Q15: When should I use the CP2 form (electronic stationery)?
You should use the CP2 forms for both registrations and consultations for MAS in all situations other than during exceptional circumstances (e.g. major power failure for a prolonged period of time). The CP2 form uses the ePharmacy solution to MAS and is the most efficient, reliable and effective way of providing the service.
Q16: When should I use manual forms
You should only use the A4 registration forms and handwrite CP2 forms for consultations/dispensing when you have lost connectivity. If you have to use manual forms, you must contact the ePharmacy Helpdesk in advance on 0131 275 6600.
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Formulary and Dispensing

Q17: What is in the MAS Formulary?
There is one national formulary for MAS based on the BNF and it is the reference point for payment purposes for products provided under the MAS.
The national formulary includes:
  • all Pharmacy (P) and General Sales List (GSL) medicines that are not blacklisted
  • dressing and appliances from Part 2 of the Drug Tariff
  • 'bug busting' kits from Part 3 of the Tariff
  • The following items are now within part 7b of the Drug Tariff for MAS from June 2009
  • a number of Prescription Only Medicines (POMs), which are underpinned by a series of Patient Group Direction (PGDs)
Further details can be found in the Statement on National Formulary.
Local prescribing guidelines are supported by individual NHS Board eMAS formularies.
Q18: What advice / support is available to help me with prescribing for MAS?
You should prescribe in line with national and local NHS prescribing policy and guidance. Prescribing should, wherever possible, be on a generic basis. In addition you should use any local joint formulary to help ensure that your prescribing is both evidence based and cost effective.
MAS is subject to the same prescribing support and monitoring as other clinical services. NHS Board prescribing teams should be able to provide you with prescribing advice and support and also highlight any MAS prescribed items that are disallowed under the national formulary to prevent any recurrence as they do to other prescribers.
Q19: Am I still reimbursed if I prescribe outside any local guidelines?
You will be reimbursed for any item that you prescribe if it meets the requirements of the national formulary.
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Q20: Based on the PCA, are we are paid the Scottish Drug Tariff price or BNF price?
You are paid the Scottish Drug Tariff price for any medicines (e.g. Part 7 / category M), dressings and appliances that are listed in the Scottish Drug Tariff (that have been prescribed by the approved name) and that are prescribable through the Minor Ailment Service (MAS). You are paid the most recent `NHS list price' for all other medicines that you prescribe as part of MAS.
Q21: Can I prescribe homeopathic medicines?
The national formulary allows "list" homeopathic products to be provided. These are products from the Nelsons and Weleda lists which are published in the "Chemist & Druggist". It also includes the official list of products that Freemans issue.
Homeopathic products that are covered by a "specials" license are not allowed. This is because their licensing status and subsequent legal status is unclear. If you are in any doubt you should check either with your local prescribing team as to whether the product is a "special" or not.
Q22: Can I accept incentives or inducements to prescribe a particular product for MAS?
The choice of any product you prescribe for a patient through MAS must always be independent of any inducement, incentive or commercial consideration for that product. It should be based on your clinical assessment of each individual patient and your professional judgement.
The Medicines (Advertising) Regulation 1994 governs the supply, offer or promise of gifts to healthcare professionals, including pharmacists by drug manufacturers and distributors. Pharmacists accepting items such as gift vouchers, bonus points, holidays, sports equipment etc would be in breach of Regulation 21. Pharmacists should not participate in such offers.
Q23: Can I register members of my own family with my own pharmacy for MAS?
The RPSGB guidance on prescribing clearly states that pharmacists should not prescribe for themselves or anyone else with whom they have a close personal relationship (e.g. family and friends), other than in an emergency. This guidance is in line with guidance for other prescribers e.g. doctors and dentists.
Q24: Can I consult patients for the MAS via the telephone?
You can provide a consultation for a patient by telephone under certain circumstances. For example, if the patient or their representative is housebound and unable to attend the pharmacy or if the patient's presenting condition prevents them or their representative / guardian from leaving their home (e.g. a sick child).
However the majority of consultations should be face to face with the patient or their representative/guardian.
 
Q25: What do I do in the Out Of Hours (OOH) period if a patient has symptoms that are not a minor ailment and needs to be referred to the OOH service?
Firstly, you need to consider the overall implications of any referral either to the OOH service or to NHS24 and the subsequent impact that it may have on their services. Does the persons condition require an immediate appointment or can it wait until they can be seen by their GP practice? If you decide that the person does need to be seen quickly then you should always advise them that you are referring them due to their symptoms rather than stating that they need a specific treatment to avoid raising their expectations.
You can now contact the OOH service directly on the professional-to-professional number if you need to refer a patient. Please check the information relevant to your individual Health Board area previously distributed. This avoids unnecessary calls to NHS 24 and does not prolong the patient journey as you have already made a professional decision regarding the need for them to be seen urgently.
The OOH service will ask for the person's name, date of birth, address, postcode, name of their doctor and practice. They will also ask for a brief description of their symptoms and how quickly they need to be seen. In general most cases would require to be seen within 4 hours. The OOH service will then give you an appointment time and location to pass on to the person. You should never give out the OOH number or tell anyone to go to the OOH service without you phoning first.
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