PharmaPlus is pleased to announce the next stage in the clinical training programme. This forms part of our strategy to support our members to use clinical skills in your pharmacy. There will be further topics in the future that we will be looking into - and this will be building on past topics.

This time around, we will be training you in a variety of different clinical skills that you can implement almost immediately in the pharmacy. These skills can produce an additional income stream into your pharmacy, help the NHS, help to improve your referral patterns and help you to become a better clinician.

We will be concentrating on the National Early Warning Score (NEWS2). You can find out more about NEWS2 by clicking here.

THIS TRAINING IS FOR MEMBERS, PHARMACISTS, PRE-REGISTRATION STUDENTS AND PHARMACY STUDENTS. Technicians are also welcome to attend if they are clinically inclined.

Click here attend. We will be running one session to begin for 10 people and will add in more if the demand arises.

What is an Emergency Warning Score (EWS)?

An EWS is a score that is given to a patient to assess the level of illness in a patient. It helps to provide an indication on whether a patient is seriously ill or not. Other healthcare professionals (including GPs and secondary care) can then look at the score and act accordingly.

What is NEWS2?
There are various early warning scores. The one that we will be looking at in the training event is the National Early Warning System (NEWS2). This is just one type of EWS.

What does it involve?
By the end of the session you will be able to conduct a number of physical assessments to assess the severity of illness in an individual. These assessments include looking at blood pressure, oxygenation level, temperature and several other parameters. You will also learn how to interpret the results. We will also be looking at how to conduct, assess and evaluate urine tests. This assessment will allow you to quickly assess the components in urine by a quick colour test and make the most appropriate decision in collaboration with the patient. For example, a urine infection may show high levels of leukocytes or nitrates. Other conditions will show other results.

Why should I attend?
There are three big reasons. The first one is that it can be another arm in your private service arsenal. There is a very limited material cost to providing this service but you can charge a reasonable amount to the patient - i.e. it can be a highly profitable assessment in the pharmacy. Secondly, it can be used to demonstrate clinical professionalism and provide a higher degree of confidence to your patients. The third is that you will be able to appropriately refer your patients armed with relevant examination data.