The government could be opening a "big can of worms" by lifting the ban on the sale of HIV self-testing kits, pharmacists have warned.

Pharmacists selling the self-testing kits may not have adequate training to ensure they could give advice to patients who received a positive result, contractors said in response to the government's plans to repeal the 1992 ban from Sunday (April 6). 

Public Health England, which first announced the move in August last year, said it would help encourage earlier and more frequent testing. However, there were currently no self-testing kits approved for UK sale, it said this week (April 2).

Pharmacists would need to know the current treatments for HIV and be prepared to counsel and refer patients who may have the infection, if they chose to stock the tests, said Rohpharm Pharmacy owner Jignesh Patel	More on HIV Get involved in HIV Pharmacists call for training as DH lifts ban on HIV self-testing kits Update: HIV and Aids
	Pharmacist Jignesh Patel, who won a C+D Award for his HIV-testing pilot scheme in his Rohpharm Pharmacy, said the government had "jumped the gun" and should have focused instead on commissioning HIV services in pharmacy.

Pharmacists who chose to stock the tests would need to know the current treatments for HIV and be prepared to counsel and refer patients who may have the infection, he said.

"If someone comes in with a crisis, you can't just turn them away. The first thing people need is someone to talk to. They think it's the endgame, when it's not," he said. "But my biggest concern is that this isn't like diabetes testing, where it is easy to refer people to a GP and where it's easy to treat," he added. "Do pharmacists know which referral pathways to use?"

Superintendant pharmacist Anish Patel, who offers the combined hepatitis B, C and HIV blood test at Bees Pharmacy, Hackney, agreed that pharmacists needed training on effective communication, as HIV was a sensitive issue that could not just be "dropped" on a patient.

"It's quite sensitive from a counselling point of view and I don't think some pharmacies are trained up to give the advice," he told C+D. However, the kits did target those who were scared to go to their doctor, he said.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) argued that, although the repeal on the ban would lead to pharmacists selling the kits once they were approved for sale, it would not necessarily trigger a greater need for counselling. Patients were advised to go to a hospital for a second test.

"Pharmacists can tell [people] how the test works, but once that happens the patient is taken into the care pathway," said Viola Lewis, RPS communications manager. 

The availability of the self-testing kits could help reduce the risk of new HIV infections, said RPS spokesperson on HIV, Heather Leake Date. It could also increase diagnosis by providing more choice for those at risk who were reluctant to get a test in person, she added.

The Department of Health said in August that the kits would need to comply with MHRA regulations. They would include clear information on how to interpret the results and advice on where to receive a follow-up test.

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