CPCS General Training

Training

Pharmacists providing the CPCS should read the service specification and the CPCS Toolkit to be clear on what is expected of them and how the CPCS should be provided.

The necessary knowledge and skills required are a core competency for all pharmacists, but those wishing to provide the CPCS should ensure that they:

• are able to explain the service to patients and carers;
• have an up to date understanding of the Human Medicines Regulations;
• are able to communicate with and advise patients appropriately and effectively on low acuity conditions;
• are able to assess the clinical needs of patients, including the identification of red flags; and
• are able to act on the referrals received and make appropriate referrals to other NHS services and healthcare professionals.

A CPPE CPCS self-assessment tool is available on the NHSBSA website to help pharmacists to assess their learning needs in relation to the service.

Pharmacists wanting to further develop their history taking, red flag identification and clinical assessment skills may find the following helpful:

• CPCS Training from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and Royal College of GPs: This is a series of two online workshops that will be available on various dates up until at least the end of March 2022.
• CPPE CPCS Workshops: This is a single online workshop

Please note that for both of these, pharmacists will need to complete the CPPE essential skills e-course before attending. If booking the CPPE course, enrolment on this is automatic, but for the RPS workshops this will need to be done manually. More information can be found here.