Pharmacists have called for training to better support HIV patients in response to government plans to lift the ban on the sale of self-testing kits.

Leading pharmacy bodies, including LPCs, will need to think about appropriate training for those who choose to sell the self-testing kits from April, pharmacists told C+D this week. Allowing patients to test themselves could send them into "panic stations" unless they receive advice from pharmacists, they said.

England's chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies announced yesterday (August 15) that the government was "scrapping outdated rules" and removing the 1992 ban on the sale of self-testing kits in an effort to encourage more people to get tested early and receive the best treatment available.

He raised concerns that the mass-produced kits would not have local information about where patients can go to receive treatment. "People might attempt suicide because they have nowhere to turn," he said. "They should be offered support."

Superintendent pharmacist Anish Patel, who offers the combined hepatitis B,C and HIV blood test at Bees Pharmacy, Hackney, said the kits were a "good idea" but supporting patients would be essential. He was trained in preparing patients for the results "no matter what they might be", he said.

Kingsland Pharmacy owner Muktha Manji, who also offers the combined hepatitis B, C and HIV test in Hackney, said he was against the home kits and emphasised the need for counselling. "We are trivialising the whole matter," he told C+D.

HIV and sexual health charity the Terrence Higgins Trust welcomed the move, but warned that the kits currently available on the internet were unregulated, often of poor quality and lacked information on HIV transmission and sources of support.