Now screening

We have recently started participating in the PCT’s Chlamydia screening campaign.

There seem to be various ways in which community pharmacies are getting involved in these schemes around the country, from just handing out testing kits through to advising patients on their results and offering treatment to patients who test positive under a PGD.

Our local scheme just involves us handing out the testing kits, which we do for free since the PCT is of the opinion that no patient counselling is needed about how to use the kit.

This is a shame because after we looked at all the information that the patient needs to take on board, we came to the decision that some additional counselling on what to do is definitely needed.

Therefore when patients request this kit one of the counter staff takes them into the counselling room to run through it.