Get a head start with training for new community pharmacy Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) service

Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) has published training and assessments for a new UTI service which will be launched throughout community pharmacies across Wales from June, 2024.

This training will equip community pharmacists with the skills and knowledge to assess and treat patients who present with UTI symptoms. This aligns with Welsh Government’s vision for pharmacies to be the first point of contact for common ailments.

In October 2021, the UTI Service was piloted in Hywel Dda University Health Board (HDUHB). The service demonstrated the capability of community pharmacy to support GP practices, as well as other healthcare providers, with:

• 91% of patients saying they would have sought advice from another healthcare setting if the service was not available from the pharmacy.

• 98% of patients saying they would visit a community pharmacy next time they have UTI symptoms, expressing their confidence in the service.

The success of this pilot, which was also a Bevan exemplar project, has contributed to the development of the national UTI Service, which will soon be delivered as a component of the Common Ailment Service via the Choose Pharmacy platform.