Training your team and ensuring everyone's knowledge is up-to-date are important CPD triggers for you. We suggest that you get the team together for a training session based on the activities below and discuss the various ways in which you can offer customers and patients added care in this category.

Subject: child health

This Train Your Team checklist provides support and information to run a team training session on child health. This content can also be used for your own CPD.

Reflection

• Do we take the opportunity when dispensing medication for children to provide healthcare information?
• Do we as a pharmacy team take children’s health seriously?
• What opportunities do we have to help build healthy habits in children?
• Do we know where to signpost parents for information on healthy eating and appropriate body weight in children?
• Do we sell any less healthy foods and drinks in the pharmacy?
• What advice can we give to parents to help their children to get enough sleep and physical activity?

Training checklist

Ensure your support staff understand the following key points:

• The importance of child healthcare in the pharmacy
• The importance of both a healthy balanced diet and physical activity for children and teenagers
• How to achieve a healthy balanced diet and physical activity in the context of a busy life
• The importance of shared meals and families spending time together
• OTC medicines suitable for children of different ages and their appropriate usage
• When to refer to the pharmacist.

Action. I will:

• Re-assess our communication skills in delivering healthrelated information and advice for children
• Ask a member of the pharmacy team to identify and keep information on healthcare issues of relevance to children
• Train my pharmacy assistants to ensure that they can meet the points in the training checklist.

Practice points

• How could a six-year-old child get his/her five-a-day if the parents say that fruit and vegetables are too expensive? See: nhs.uk/Livewell/5ADAY/Pages/Tencheapways.aspx
• What are the benefits for a child of being physically active for the recommended amount of time each day? See: nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/Documents/children-and-youngpeople-5-18-years.pdf