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Record learning outcomes

Training your team and ensuring everyone's knowledge is up-to-date are important CPD triggers. We suggest that you get the team together for a training session based on the activities below and discuss the various ways in which you can offer customers and patients added care in this category.

Subject: animal health

This Train Your Team checklist provides support and information to run a team training session on animal health. This content can also be used for your own CPD.

Reflection

• Do we take animal health seriously in our pharmacy?
• Do we make our expertise on pet health known to our customers, for example via window displays and websites?
• Is our pharmacy pet friendly? Is there somewhere to loop a dog lead over a hook outside the pharmacy, for example, or a dog bowl containing fresh water?
• Do we know where to signpost pet owners for information on pet health issues?
• Do we know where local vets are located?
• What advice do we give pet owners about hygiene at home?

Training checklist

Ensure your support team understands the importance of:

• Animal healthcare in the pharmacy
• A healthy balanced diet for pets
• Physical activity for dogs and the benefits for their owners
• Maintaining good hygienic practices around pets in the home
• Preventing parasite infections, such as fleas, ticks and worms, by recommending suitable products for different pets and explaining how they should be used
• Knowing when to refer to the pharmacist.

Action

• We will re-assess our communication skills in delivering health-related information and advice for pets
• We will re-assess our displays and promotion of pet health medicines and pet sundries
• We will make a note of any new types of pets described by customers in the pharmacy
• I will ask a member of the pharmacy team to identify and keep information on veterinary practices and pet training classes
• I will train my pharmacy assistants to ensure they can meet the points in this training checklist.

Practice point

• Have your support staff completed the NPA Interact programme for pharmacy assistants, which contains a module on pet medicines? See: npa.co.uk/Developing-Teams-Careers/Medicines-Counter-Assistants/Pharmacy-Interact