Hypertension case-finding service equipment, training requirements are out

To assist contractors with the preparation for provision of the Hypertension case-finding service, the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has published information about equipment and training requirements.

Announced as part of the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF), the new service will be commissioned as an advanced service from October 1.

Meanwhile, PSNC is working with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHSE&I to finalise the service specification.

The service will have two stages – the first is identifying people at risk of hypertension and offering them blood pressure measurement.

The second stage involves offering a 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) service, which would be shared with the patient’s GP to inform a potential diagnosis of hypertension.

Contractors opting to provide the service must undertake both the stages.

Initially, the service will only be provided by pharmacists, but if an agreement is reached between the DHSC, Revenue and Customs and Treasury, it could be administered by other staff under a pharmacist’s supervision.

Equipment requirement

To provide the service, contractors will have to purchase or rent equipment that meets the required standards.

Equipment that is to be used in the service must be validated by the British and Irish Hypertension Society (BIHS).

Training requirement for pharmacists

• Be familiar with the NICE guideline Hypertension in adults: diagnosis and management
• Have read and understood the operational processes to provide the service as described in the service specification, when published
• Have completed the recommended training on how to use the blood pressure monitoring equipment which should be provided by the equipment manufacturer/supplier.