Patient Group Direction (PGD) courses

Patient Group Directions (PGDs) enable pharmacists to provide medicines and vaccines privately to support a wide range of patient groups and conditions. The NPA offers vaccination training and PGDs through our partnerships at very competitive rates on an extensive range of flu, travel, vaccination and non-vaccination/clinical (formerly oral/topical) PGDs.

PGDs enable pharmacists to supply and administer specified medicines to pre-defined groups of patients without a prescription as part of service delivery eg private flu vaccination.

Benefits to your business from offering services:

  • Increases your footfall and your revenue streams
  • Drives repeat demand
  • Provides the pharmacist with additional skill-set
  • Improves the visibility of your business in the local community profile
  • Develops your potential market

Services are good for your patients and customers as:

  • Community pharmacies are highly accessible
  • They have the assurance of being offered advice, medication and/or vaccination by a trained, accredited and trusted front-line healthcare professional
  • Your service is convenient
  • You may offer out-of-hours access due to extended opening hours

Flu & Covid-19 Vaccination

The face-to-face component of the course is a 3.5 - hour workshop run by experienced specialist vaccinators who will cover the following:

  • Intramuscular (I.M.) Injection technique.
  • Sub-cutaneous (S.C.) Injection technique.
  • Intranasal (I.N.) immunisation technique.
  • Reconstitution technique.
  • Full guidance and demonstration on Anaphylaxis/CPR and a competency test. Certificate of competence issued upon successfully completing the course.

Skincare

Patients regularly turn to their pharmacy for all manner of creams and lotions looking to discover that magic skin remedy. By running a comprehensive skincare clinic you can help patients make an informed decision as to which treatment is most appropriate

Pneumococcal

Although more prevalent in winter months, pneumococcal infections can strike people of any age, at any time.

Pneumococcal vaccination is not always available to patients via the NHS or those eligible might not have time to book a GP appointment so a convenient private service is always of benefit.

Smoking cessation

There are established NHS programmes to help people give up smoking, with many prescribing medicinal products such as Champix® being supplied when traditional Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) products have failed. Whilst medicinal products can be very effective, often smokers fail to give up on their first attempt or simply start smoking again after weeks or months of giving up.

Each individual is limited to just one attempt at giving up smoking using prescribed medication on the NHS. This means they may not able to obtain the same medicinal products to support them to give up smoking a second time, leaving demand for a private smoking cessation service.

Strep A

Sore throats are a common ailment, especially in winter. People concerned that they may have contracted a throat infection already turn to pharmacies for over the counter remedies but pharmacies can help patients further by running a test 'n treat service. Trained pharmacists can confirm a patient's strep A diagnosis using a rapid test kit (also available via Pharmadoctor), then dispense appropriate treatment depending on the test result.

Weight loss

An estimated 23% of the UK population is now classed as obese, putting them at risk of a whole host of related health issues. The UK has the second highest rate of obesity in Europe and The Department of Health has also recently warned that obesity has overtaken smoking as the leading causes of some cancers. Despite this, the provision of weight management treatments available on the NHS remains restrictive with only one course of orlistat available.

By setting up a weight management service in your pharmacy you can provide convenient and personalised help to patients who need it.

Minor ailments

By signing up to the Pharmadoctor Minor Ailments Clinic Package you'll be able to help those looking to reduce the amount of alcohol they drink, to treat patients suffering from common conditions like migraine and weight management as well as a range of other health complaints such as acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome and many more.

Migraine

With debilitating symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and increased sensitivity to light or sound, migraine is a common health condition, affecting around one in every five women and around one in every 15 men in the UK.

Patients regularly turn to pharmacies for means of easing their symptoms so it is a perfect setting for a comprehensive migraine prevention and treatment clinical service.

Pick 'n' mix Clinic

While we have grouped together a number of our service packages to create specific clinics, we recognise that it is also important to give pharmacists the option of tailoring their offering to the needs of their patients.

The Pharmadoctor Pick 'n' Mix Clinic Package represents an economic way of allowing pharmacies to offer their patients multiple services which are not necessarily all within the same area of healthcare. The pharmacy becomes a unique clinic, catering directly to the specific needs of its community.