Following media reports that pre-registration trainees have been allowed to provide MUR and NMS consultations without supervision by a pharmacist, PSNC has issued the following guidance to pharmacy contractors.

PSNC guidance

Provision of the MUR and NMS Advanced services is governed by the Secretary of State Directions. The Directions are clear that MUR and NMS consultations may only be carried out by a suitably qualified pharmacist (details of pharmacist accreditation for the services is available on the PSNC website).

If a contractor claims payment from the NHS for provision of one of these services, where the consultation had been provided by somebody other than a suitably qualified pharmacist, the contractor would be breaching the requirements in the Secretary of State Directions. Any such breach could result in NHS England considering the performance of the contractor in line with its performance management policy and procedure.

A pre-registration trainee could undertake MUR and NMS type consultations with a patient, where the patient consents to this and the trainee is being supervised by a suitably qualified pharmacist. This scenario could provide a valuable learning experience for the trainee, but as the consultation would not have been undertaken by a suitably qualified pharmacist, it would not be appropriate for the pharmacy contractor to claim payment for provision of the service from the NHS.

PSNC Briefing 087/13: Advanced services and Pre-registration Trainees (20th August 2013)

If you have any queries on this PSNC Briefing or you require more information, please contact the PSNC Services Team at: Services.Team@psnc.org.uk.

To browse other PSNC briefings on services and commissioning click here.