Hypertension Case-Finding Service: skill mix changes start today
From today (1st December 2023), suitably trained and competent pharmacy staff (pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and other non-registered members of the pharmacy team) can provide the Hypertension Case-Finding Service; previously it could only be provided by a pharmacist or pharmacy technician.
This comes alongside the changes to the Pharmacy Contraception Service, which means pharmacists can now initiate oral contraception, as well as continue to provide ongoing management of oral contraception that was initiated in general practice or a sexual health clinic (or equivalent).
When time allows, pharmacy owners will need to consider the role of different staff within the provision of the service, including how the pharmacist will be involved and how they will provide clinical supervision of the service.
The service page on our website has been updated to reflect the changes and updated resources have also been published for use by pharmacy owners.
Join us for a webinar on the Hypertension Case-Finding Service
We are organising a series of webinars for pharmacy owners and their teams through December and January, with support from NHS England and the Centre for Postgraduate Education (CPPE).
We will be holding a Hypertension Case-Finding Service webinar,, with support from NHS England and the Centre for Postgraduate Education (CPPE), on Wednesday 3rd January 2024, 7-8.30pm. This webinar is aimed at helping pharmacy teams who are already providing the service to review the way they provide it, including making greater use of the whole pharmacy team within its provision.
We will also focus on how to make sure as many eligible patients as possible take up the offer to have ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM).
During the webinar, we will provide a brief review of the service requirements, then discuss the changes to the service, including how to make best use of the pharmacy team.
A pharmacy owner will talk about how they have maximised use of skill mix within their team and a pharmacist, who has been successful in recruiting patients to have ABPM, will also join us to share their experiences and top tips.