Developing your workforce – a guide for trainers

• The consultation skills practice standards define the competencies that all pharmacy professionals should aspire to
• They are the foundation of this consultation skills programme and the learning which underpins it
• They set out the knowledge, skills, behaviours and attitudes that pharmacy professionals should be able to demonstrate when communicating and consulting with patients
• You can find the practice standards in the learning pathway tab by clicking on the What standard? drop down tab or clicking on the ‘rosette’ icon

You should be familiar with the complete learning pathway which contains six steps to developing practice. We have already directed you to the Why? section of the pathway in FAQ 1 above and the practice standards in FAQ 2. In addition you should familiarise yourself with the following steps:

• The self-assessment - This step sits within the Where am I? section of the learning pathway (also accessed by clicking on the ‘clip board’ icon). Learners are encouraged to reflect on current practice and are provided with tools and resources to facilitate this, such as the medication-related consultation framework (MRCF) and questionnaires for patient feedback.
• The learning - The core learning recommended to meet the consultation skills practice standards sits within the How do I improve? tab of the learning pathway (also accessed by clicking on the ‘book’ icon). The resources here are available for you to use as teaching aids, or to signpost learners to.
• The e-assessment. The programme e-assessment sits within the Check my learning? tab of the learning pathway (also accessed by clicking on the ‘magnifying glass’ icon). The e-assessment has been developed to help learners to assess their knowledge in relation to the consultation skills practice standards and their ability to identify good practice when delivering effective patient-centred consultations.

• You can provide valuable support to learners as they work through the initial self-assessment stage. It is at this early stage that learners are able to identify the knowledge, skills and behaviours they need to demonstrate competence against the consultation skills practice standards.
• You need to be able to identify and support learners who are in difficulty and know where to signpost them for additional advice and guidance.
• You can support the learner's progression by providing constructive timely feedback.
• Think about building up a bank of useful learning resources to signpost your learners to, to support their learning journey.

• Self-assessment tools include the medication-related consultation framework (MRCF), patient feedback questionnaires, and a critique form that can be used when assessing video consultations and by peers and colleagues who are reviewing practice
• Learning materials include the Consultation skills for pharmacy practice distance learning programme, a CPPE e-learning programme and resources to help you deliver face-to-face training.

Yes. We have developed materials to support you in running two different workshops. One is aimed at hospital pharmacy teams, and the other is aimed at community or general practice pharmacy teams. The materials introduce your learners to the Consultation Skills for Pharmacy Practice pathway and they include some short activities which can kick start reflection. The key resources you need are:

No. Whether your learners are pharmacy technicians or pharmacists working in any sector of pharmacy practice, the key skills and behaviours needed to conduct an effective patient-centred consultation are the same. You may wish to consider the type of consultation your learners are most likely to engage in when developing role play scenarios.