The pharmacy first service in England includes the treatment of acute sore throat, subject to inclusion criteria of the relevant PGD. Not all people accessing the service will be suitable for antibiotic treatment, so should be offered advice about self – care measures. It is therefore important that all trained members of staff (medicines counter assistants, dispensing assistants and pharmacy technicians) are able to advise appropriately.
Acute Sore Throat
There is a short training guide available in the training section of this hub. These staff members will also benefit from understanding about the Pharmacy first service pathway for acute sore throat, they may use the short guides, in the training section of this hub to support with this.
It has been estimated that around 550 consultations in GP practices (with a patient size of 7000) are for a sore throat each year[1]
Less than 1/3 of all cases of acute sore throat are due to bacterial infections (Strep A)[1]
This means that a significant number of sore throat complaints can be treated with OTC medicines and advice.
Reference: [1] NICE CKS Acute sore throat prevalence
Pharmacists should be fully trained on delivery of the service. As well as the Service specification, clinical pathways and individual PGDs, they will benefit from using the resource section of this hub to underpin their knowledge further.
