PCA(P)(2019)02 - Improving Quality of OTC

Published: 24/01/19

This Circular provides community pharmacy teams with details of a new training resource for community pharmacy staff.

Background

In 2013, the Consumer Association, Which? published findings from an investigation into over the counter (OTC) consultations in community pharmacies in the UK. The report highlighted unwarranted variability in the quality of medicines advice provided; in some cases, the advice could have led to preventable harm or unnecessary referrals.

Circulars PCA(P)(2017)01 and PCA(P)(2017)11 advised of two training modules produced for community pharmacy staff: ‘Effective management of over-the-counter (OTC) consultations’, and ‘Improving the quality of overthe-counter (OTC) consultations’.’

Detail

NHS Education for Scotland (NES) has developed a third module in this series. A hard copy of ‘Improving the quality of over the counter (OTC) consultations for simple analgesics’ will be sent to every community pharmacy contractor in February 2019 and it will also be available online from this time on Turas Learn (https://learn.nes.nhs.scot/).

The purpose of this training pack is to provide all community pharmacy team members with information and suggestions to help optimise the quality of OTC consultations for simple analgesics. On completion of the workbook, an online assessment will be available on Turas Learn (https://learn.nes.nhs.scot/) for those who wish to test their understanding of the content.

The resource is aimed at all community pharmacy staff but will be of particular benefit to medicine counter assistants carrying out these interactions.

Payment

Contractors on the Pharmaceutical List as of 1 January 2019 will be entitled to a one-off payment of £100 which is a contribution towards releasing staff time to undertake the training pack. The payment will be made in January 2019 dispensing, paid at the end of March 2019.