Ongoing training and development of pharmacy team members

Pharmacy type

Community

Pharmacy context

This is a community pharmacy in a shopping centre. It sells over-the-counter medicines and dispenses NHS prescriptions. The pharmacy team offers advice to people about minor illnesses and long-term conditions. And it offers services including emergency hormonal contraception, medicines use reviews (MURs), flu vaccinations and​ a substance misuse service. The pharmacy supplies medicines in multi-compartment compliance packs to people living in their own homes.

Relevant standards

• 2.2 - Staff have the appropriate skills, qualifications and competence for their role and the tasks they carry out, or are working under the supervision of another person while they are in training

Why this is notable practice

The pharmacy's comprehensive range of training material helps team members complete regular training relevant to their roles. The team members make full use of these training materials to ensure their knowledge and skills are up to date. The pharmacy supports this ongoing training with regular appraisals. So, team members can tailor their training to help them achieve personal goals.

How the pharmacy did this

Pharmacy team members regularly accessed the company's online training system to keep their knowledge and skills up to date. They received training modules to complete every month. Some modules were mandatory and relevant to their roles. Team members received set time during the working day so they could complete the modules without interruption. They received around 30 minutes a month. Team members could choose voluntary modules if they felt the need to learn about a specific healthcare related topic, or needed help carrying out a certain process. The pharmacy had an annual performance appraisal process in place. The appraisals were an opportunity for the team members to discuss their personal development and help them achieve personal goals.

What difference this made to patients

With the comprehensive training materials available pharmacy team members keep their knowledge and skills up to date. This benefits people using the pharmacy services as the team members provide up-to-date and relevant advice. For example they are aware of new healthcare related products that have come to market and can help people manage any ailments more effectively.