The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 268 No 7199 p717-719
25 May 2002

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  Dispensing
  Checking technicians
  Childhood vaccination
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  Concordance
  Herbal remedies
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Letters to the Editor

NHS Direct

Benefits for pharmacists and nurses from “On-site insights”

From Mrs K. Franklin, RGN, RHV, and Dr C. Dunn, MRPharmS

We were pleased to read the conclusions (PDF* 60K) of Knowles et al (PJ, 4 May, pp621–623) that pharmacists generally welcomed their increasing involvement with NHS Direct. Such views largely confirm our experience across Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.

In October 2001, pharmacists in all community pharmacies in the three counties were invited to participate in a training session in order that they could subsequently host clinical placements for NHS Direct nurses. Eighty-five community pharmacists expressed interest in the role and, in early 2002, 40 attended one of three orientation sessions at an NHS Direct call centre. This session was based around Department of Health guidance "On-site insight into NHS Direct for community pharmacists" and involved presentations by both of us, a tour of the facilities, a demonstration of the clinical assessment software and, as an opportunity arose, "sitting in" on a caller being triaged by an NHS Direct nurse adviser.

Community pharmacists were unanimous in their views that the session met all its aims and objectives, and generally "opened their eyes" to NHS Direct and their potential interaction with the system. No fees or expenses were available for attending pharmacists, but the College of Pharmacy Practice accredited the sessions for two hours of continuing professional development.

Twelve nurses have to date completed their clinical placements with trained community pharmacists. These sessions, four hours long, followed closely the NPA guidance "On-site insight into community pharmacy for NHS Direct nurses", and were intended to demonstrate "real time" aspects of the daily work of community pharmacists rather than be a structured teaching session in the "protected" environment of an office/dispensary.

Pharmacists hosting these placements receive a fee of £100 and an additional one hour of CPD credit. Like pharmacists' feedback from the training session, feedback from the nurses has been excellent — the placements met all aims and objectives, and generally underpinned the in-house lectures about the structures and functions of community pharmacy.

In our experience, both nurses and community pharmacists believe the "On-site insights" have strengthened the relationship between our two professions, made each aware of the other's attributes and, perhaps most importantly, resulted in greater confidence in the willingness of each to appropriately refer patients to the other.

Kate Franklin
Pharmacy Co–ordinator

Christopher Dunn
Pharmacy Tutor
NHS Direct Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire

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