Managing expectations
Support from the team
Consider what support you need from the team in terms of admin, managing queues (in or outside the pharmacy), telephone triaging, stock management, delivering the service, etc.
You may find our pharmacy guide on reducing workplace pressure through professional empowerment helpful with pressures experienced within the workplace. It includes information on:
- Matching resources to demand
- Ensuring working environments are fit for purpose
- Mechanisms for raising concerns
- Ensuring pharmacists take breaks
- Managing commercial pressures.
Ensure you and your team feel confident in explaining the service to people who have been referred by their GP or make enquiries. This includes explaining any processes you have in place to provide the service, e.g., paperwork to check eligibility and appointment setting (if applicable).
Pharmacy teams should also feel confident managing expectations and explaining to people who may need to wait longer for prescriptions and advice.
To support this, you may want to consider having systems in place such as pre-questionnaires and appointment setting, and having discussions with your local GP practices (see sections below for further information).
Pre-questionnaire/paperwork
This is useful to capture the information needed to assess whether the service is suitable for the person.
You could consider designing a pre-questionnaire that asks for relevant information from the person to help the pharmacist determine service suitability. You could have online or telephone pre-questionnaires where possible before the appointment, e.g., phone checks in the morning and book in the afternoon. If you have a tablet device, you can use this to fill in forms.
You should also refer to the national service links under the service requirement section to see if there are existing checklists. You could also use the Community Pharmacy Wales Common Ailments Service - Quick Reference Guide.
Discuss with your IT system provider if there are electronic versions of forms that can be used.
Providing the person with sufficient information on the service
People should be provided with information (written is preferable) about the service helping them to make an informed decision on whether they would like to use the service or an alternative, e.g., an OTC sale or to see a prescriber, and to check whether the service is suitable for them.
This information may include what the service is, who is eligible for the service, how long it takes, details about the medicines, etc. You may need to consider developing written literature that can be given to people with the above and any other relevant information. You could also provide advice through websites and posters.
There should be a complaints procedure available in your pharmacy and people using the service should be advised of this should they want to make a complaint or raise a concern.
The following resources can be used to support you with providing people with information:
You should also refer to the national service links under the service requirement section for resources for promotional resources and resources for the public:
Appointments
You may want to consider having an appointment system for scheduling the service if it is not appropriate to conduct the service when requested (this can be due to insufficient staff levels, the consultation area being used for other pharmacy services, etc).
Ensure you have a robust system in place and train the pharmacy team on the system.
It is useful to have a diary in the pharmacy showing the times and dates of when the service can be conducted. Alternatively, you could use digital forms, such as spreadsheets.
You could also contact people by phone, SMS or email to confirm appointments and provide pre- appointment information or pre-questionnaires/paperwork where possible.
Ensure you have a process for dealing with late arrivals and no shows.
If a member of the pharmacy team calls in sick and you cannot provide the service, then ensure you contact people booked in for the service to reschedule.