Pharmacists in Plymouth will be undertaking extra training to help patients manage their diabetes more effectively, in a trial of the first advanced MUR in Devon.

Devon LPC is launching the advanced diabetes MUR across pharmacies in Plymouth pharmacies working towards healthy living pharmacy (HLP) status. The NHS-funded service will enable pharmacists to offer diabetes advice in addition to the normal MUR consultation.

Devon LPC told C+D it expected at least 15 pharmacies to take part in the 10-week trial from June, the results of which will then be evaluated and presented as part of the national evaluation of HLPs to the Parliamentary All Party Diabetes Group later this year.  

Devon LPC is launching the advanced diabetes MUR for pharmacies in Plymouth working to achieve Healthy Living Pharmacy status	More on MURs MUR tips for type 1 diabetes Extend MURs and NMS to reduce medicines waste,       says government steering group C+D MUR Zone
	The £4,000 scheme, funded by Plymouth Public Health, builds on the launch of Devon LPC's diabetes toolkit last September. The scheme comes as research from charity Diabetes UK released last week found that just one in five patients in England and Wales had their condition under control.

"We are doing it to influence [pharmacists] to make sure that patients are better able to manage their diabetes," Devon LPC project pharmacist Mark Stone said.

Mr Stone hoped that pharmacists would be delivering five advanced MURs a week. "If we can get 400 MURs and receive feedback on that, then we will be doing well," he added. 

Pharmacists will be paid a fee of between £5 and £10 for each consultation, in addition to the £28 they receive for a normal MUR.  

Diabetes was a growing problem, Mr Stone said, with the Health and Social Care Information Centre claiming earlier this year that five million people in the UK would be diagnosed with the condition by 2025.

Participating pharmacists will need to do an e-training course developed by the London Health Innovation and Education Cluster (HIEC) and attend clinical training, which will enable them to provide advice on hypoglycaemic episodes, insulin injecting techniques, lifestyle changes and medicines compliance.

Mr Stone said the toolkit was being used by pharmacists across the country and a pharmacist in Egham, Surrey had emailed him to say it had changed the way he approached his MURs.

Mr Stone was keen for more pharmacists to take advantage of it. "If we want to make a difference to patients we have to get it out to each and every pharmacist to use it."

For what condition would an advanced MUR benefit your patients most? Comment below or email us at [email protected] You can also find C+D on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook