The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 268 No 7200 p751-757
1 June 2002

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National Pharmaceutical Association (www.npa.co.uk)

NPA wants more consultation areas

The National Pharmaceutical Association is to encourage its members to incorporate consultation areas into their pharmacies.

During a discussion at the NPA's May board meeting, the board expressed the view that a key component of pharmacy infrastructure is a consultation area allowing for confidential dialogue with patients in appropriate surroundings. The association's pharmacy planning department has identified a number of core factors contributing to the success of consultation areas:

• The consultation area should ensure privacy and be comfortable
• The facilities should be adequate and include a worktop or table and seating for both parties
• The environment should be conducive to a high quality service
• The area should allow the transfer of confidential information and be conducive to counselling
• The area should provide ready access to booklets, leaflets and other information
• The area should be near the dispensary so that the pharmacist can oversee activities there
• The area should be located away from the main customer flow to prevent unintentional customer intrusion
• The area should be well signposted
• There should be appropriate computer support in the area or nearby

The planning department has produced four basic models for members to choose from. The incorporation of a consultation area need not necessarily involve a major restructuring of premises or an expensive refit, it says.

Board members considered that as consultation areas are associated with improvements in health services then these areas should be funded by those paying for the services. Many health authorities already make funding available to cover, in whole or in part, the installation of consultation areas and additional money has, or will be, made available for the installation of consultation areas within all pharmacies in Scotland under the Scottish pharmaceutical care strategy.

Other items discussed at the meeting are set out below.

Veterinary medicines An NPA delegation had attended the Competition Commission's public debate on restrictive practices in veterinary medicine prescribing. The points made by the NPA in the debate were that:

• Few prescriptions are dispensed outside veterinary surgeries and they are expensive if they are
• Pharmacies find it difficult to obtain prescription only veterinary medicines from manufacturers and to obtain efficacious non-prescription products
• Decisions on distribution, and thus availability, of veterinary medicines rest solely in the hands of the manufacturers. In contrast with human medicines, reclassification from prescription only to pharmacy (P) or pharmacy and merchants list (PML) status is rare

Professional and commercial challenges to the NPA's presentation were sparse. Significantly, the chairman of the inquiry, Denise Kingsmill, commented that the silence from the pharmaceutical manufacturers was surprising and that the panel would draw its own conclusions from this. The commission's full report is expected in January 2003. Meanwhile, the NPA sees a commercial opportunity in providing pet care services and will produce a resource pack for members in the autumn.

Hazel Blears Immediate past-chairman, Gerald Alexander, and chief executive, John D'Arcy, met Hazel Blears, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health on 13 May. Control of entry, pharmacist prescribing, local pharmaceutical service and medicines management were discussed.