Pharmacists can carry out virtual consultations at “no additional fee in an effort to support social distancing”, the patient group direction (PGD) provider announced last week (March 26).

“To take advantage of this new service delivery framework, pharmacists must complete the remote consultation service setup,” Pharmadoctor said on its website.

They will then need to “confirm a number of service declarations” before they receive a certificate that will enable them to offer their services remotely.

Send invite

For service packages using Pharmadoctor eTool – an online consultation guidance and record keeping platform – pharmacists should send patients an invite “to register their personal details via pharmadoctor.co.uk/patient or via your pharmacy website and ask them to begin their consultation online”, Pharmadoctor said.

They can then share their WhatsApp, Facetime or Skype contact details and make an appointment with the patient.

When treatment is recommended, patients can either pick it up from the pharmacy or decide to have it posted to their home, Pharmadoctor said.

The procedure is similar for the company’s PGD-only services, although during the consultation call, pharmacists are advised to follow “the normal consultation process using their Pharmadoctor risk assessment form”.