SPECIAL NEWS UPDATE: WIMS project for ALL community pharmacies

Written by admin on Friday 24th January 2020

Walk in my Shoes (WIMS) actions explained for all pharmacies - submission deadline 31st March 2020


UPDATE: 17th March 2020

Please read the following important update:


Please take your time to read and share this with your team. Your appointed PCN Lead will be key to coordinating visit activities and ensuring messages are simply communicated to all pharmacies in your PCN; making completion of this project quick & easy to complete.

It’s a little while now since CPSC supported and co-hosted the NHS England - South (Wessex) commissioned 'Walk in my Shoes’ project's five engagement events held back in November 2019.

Attendance was good at all events; with most being fully booked. Around half of all CPSC pharmacies then went onto complete their ‘Expression of Interest’ declarations; stating they intended to submit the required feedback when they had completed their WIMS actions. This EOI also made them eligible to receive a £150 payment from NHS England (paid if submitted before 30th November 2019) recognising their commitment to provide their WIMS feedback by 31st March 2020.

It’s now time to refresh and remind everyone about the project, its purpose, the benefits to you of participating and the importance of ensuring completion of your WIMS feedback submission on PharmOutcomes before 31st March 2020.


Why WIMS?
    • Following on from the establishment of Primary Care Networks and the announcement of the new GP and Pharmacy Contracts, NHS England South (Wessex) Pharmacy Local Professional Network invited all pharmacies and GP practices to participate in the ‘Walk In My Shoes’ project (WIMS).
    • The WIMS project facilitates closer professional working between community pharmacies and GP surgeries.
    • Growing your network of local professional contacts will become more and more important going forward and completion of the WIMS Toolkit provides a valuable tool that facilitates the further building and developing of relationships with key local health & social care people.
    • Completion of WIMS provides ideal evidence; as required for the Pharmacy Quality Scheme (PQS) quality standard relating to the Primary Care Network (PCN) domain.
      • Completion of the PQS quality standard for the PCN domain provides:
        • 12.5 points for all pharmacies in PCN (if not the PCN Lead), worth between £800 & £1,600 to the contractor.
        • 22.5 points for the appointed PCN Lead, worth between, worth between £1,440 & £2,880 to the contractor.
    • Completion of WIMS for those pharmacies that completed their EOI on PharmOutcomes on time will mean retention of their £150 payment received from NHS England. Failure to meet this commitment will warrant NHS England to claim back this payment.
What if your pharmacy did not complete the WIMS EOI on PharmOutcomes?
    • Although you are no longer eligible for the additional £150 payment from NHS England, there is still a benefit for completing the WIMS Toolkit and submitting of feedback on PharmOutcomes.
    • The WIMS feedback provides ‘ideal’ evidence of your PCN activity as required for the PQS quality standard PCN domain (shown above)
    • CPSC therefore encourage all pharmacies to complete the WIMS Toolkit.

ACTION REQUIRED:

 

CPSC have produced the following document that summarises the process, explaining exactly what you need to do.

The document is important for ALL Pharmacies to read on the following link. It covers:

    • WIMS detail
    • WIMS feedback process, including screenshots of PharmOutcomes submission screens
    • WIMS resources available, with links to PSNC documents, briefing and video
    • PQS domain: PCN requirements for all pharmacies
    • PQS domain: PCN requirements for PCN Leads