Consultation Room Requirements for Key Services

The pharmacist/pharmacy technician will then conduct an initial face-to-face consultation in the pharmacy consultation room (or a remote consultation if agreed to be suitable by the patient and the pharmacist/pharmacy technician)

3.7 Pharmacies (with the exception of DSPs- see Annex F) must have a consultation room that will be used for the provision of the service which meets the requirements in the terms of service. The consultation room should also comply with the following requirements:

• When measuring blood pressure, the patient must be able to rest their arm on a table or bench at a suitable height.
• Must have IT equipment accessible within the consultation room to allow contemporaneous records of the consultations provided as part of this service to be made within the NHS IT system.

3.8 The service will usually be provided on the pharmacy premises, but patients can also be identified, and the service provided in other locations outside the pharmacy, such as areas not designated part of the pharmacy within supermarkets or large stores or in community locations, with agreement from the ICB. This may include, but is not limited to:

• community centres
• sports grounds
• places of worship

3.9 Where the service is provided from premises other than the registered pharmacy premises, this can only be undertaken with the prior consent of the ICB. Pharmacy contractors must seek approval by submitting a request for approval to the ICB using the request form set out in Annex F. The requirements which pharmacy contractors must meet when making such an application and further information on the approval process are detailed in Annex F.

3.10 Provision from premises other than the registered pharmacy premises must only be for occasional provision; ICBs can give consent to a pharmacy contractor for up to four days of provision from offsite locations each financial year.

3.11 Pharmacy contractors must ensure the location is appropriate for service provision (i.e. meets standards required by the General Pharmaceutical Council and that patient confidentiality can be maintained).

Read more in the full specification at the link.

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After 3.9.26

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3.13    Pharmacies (with the exception of DSPs) must have a consultation room that will be used for the provision of the service which meets the requirements of the terms of service. There must be IT equipment accessible within the consultation room to allow contemporaneous records of the consultations provided as part of this service to be made within the NHS-assured IT system. Where a face-to-face consultation is the preferred access model for the person, these consultations must be delivered from the consultation room at the pharmacy.

3.14    Remote consultations are also permitted to be used to provide the service where assessed as clinically appropriate by the pharmacist or pharmacy technician. When undertaking remote consultations, the contractor must ensure that there are arrangements in place at the pharmacy which enable staff to communicate confidentially with the person receiving the service by telephone or another live audio link or a live video link. NHS Guidance to support community pharmacy teams can help to plan for this.

3.5. Pharmacies must have a consultation room that will be used for the provision of the service which meets the requirements of the terms of service. Where a face-to-face consultation is the preferred access model for the person, these consultations must be delivered from the consultation room at the pharmacy. There must be IT equipment accessible within the consultation room to allow contemporaneous records of the consultations provided as part of this service to be made within the NHS assured Pharmacy First IT system.

3.6. A pharmacy entering the NHS England pharmaceutical list under a distance-selling exemption is not able to provide clinical pathway consultations on their premises.
3.7. Remote consultations are also permitted to provide the service. When undertaking remote consultations, the contractor must ensure that there are arrangements in place at the pharmacy which enable staff to communicate confidentially with the person receiving the service by telephone or another live audio link or a live video link.
3.8. Remote consultations for six of the seven clinical pathways reaching the gateway point can only be delivered by live video link. The exception to this being the Otitis Media clinical pathway. The contractor is responsible for ensuring that where clinical examination is required, such as for a rash or inspection of urine, that the quality of the video consultation allows for appropriate examination so that the service can be fully provided by the contractor. NHS England guidance can help contractors to plan for this.