National Pandemic Delivery Service ends on 31st July 2020

PSNC has today published a leaflet to help community pharmacy teams explain when and why the national pandemic delivery service will end on 31st July 2020.

During the national lockdown for the COVID-19 pandemic, HM Government funded community pharmacies to provide a medicines delivery service for shielding patients who had no-one to collect their prescription for them. However, last month the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced the Government’s plans to ease guidance for the 2.2 million people who have been shielding. This includes the termination of the Pandemic Delivery Service (both the Terms of Service requirement and the Advanced service) on 31st July 2020.

The end of this service will need to be carefully communicated as the public are likely to be unaware that without it, there is no NHS-funded prescription delivery service*. Whilst shielding patients have already received a letter from HM Government about the changes, it is likely that pharmacy teams will need to reinforce the message with those currently receiving prescription deliveries.

PSNC has developed a patient leaflet that can be used to explain that the service is ending and why, as well as advising shielding patients on what they should do going forwards. Some pharmacies may choose to continue to provide a delivery service, for example with a charge being paid by patients, so the leaflet is adaptable to describe your pharmacy’s particular circumstances.

Patient leaflet – lockdown medicine deliveries to end 31st July 2020