A Covid-19 certified training programme developed by award-winning Irish start-up and e-Learning specialists, 4Front Pharmacy, is being made available for free to all pharmacy staff with immediate effect.
Comprised of four courses (What Causes Infections; Coronavirus- Covid-19; Managing Infections; and Protecting Staff and Patients from Infections in Community Pharmacy), each taking approximately 15-to-30 minutes to complete, the programme is specifically designed for all staff working in community pharmacy, from pharmacists to front-of-shop staff. The Coronavirus-Covid-19 course will be reviewed and updated each week in line with national developments.
Commenting on the decision to make the course available without charge to the wider pharmacy community, co-founder of 4Front Pharmacy, Mr David McLean, said: “In the absence of an available vaccine, our best defence against the spread of infection is to educate all employees with accurate information about the disease, proven methods to prevent infection, and link this to the latest national advice. This is the right thing to do at the right time — for pharmacies, their staff and their customers.”
Co-Founder Ms Rachel Dungan MPSI added: “While pharmacy staff are already highly competent and well-trained with regard to infections, the emergence of Covid-19 has generated unprecedented levels of queries and understandable concern among the general public — the need for accurate, comprehensive communication, therefore, is critical. Over the coming days, we will be looking at the feasibility of extending the course to other groups in the community.”
Pharmacy staff wishing to take the free Coronavirus Covid-19 Training programme can register at learn.4frontpharmacy.ie.