NHS priorities

Whether it’s to prepare for the next Pharmacy Quality Scheme deadline, or to increase your confidence in helping people with a learning disability, this section provides topic-specific pages that link to current NHS priorities. This section will support you in keeping your knowledge and skills up to date in order to provide high-quality pharmacy services and be service-ready.

Clinical pharmacy

Our clinical portfolio is expanding on a frequent basis, helping you to advance your knowledge and skills and deliver medicines optimisation in practice for all sectors of pharmacy. From two new focal points a year to our small group learning for hospital pharmacists – Optimise – this section focuses on clinical pharmacy, diseases and therapeutics.

Public health

The public health agenda is embedded in pharmacy, yet topics such as emergency contraception or stop smoking support are as prevalent as ever. As well as our public health workshops, use this section to access a wide range of resources to assure and maintain your competence, all underpinned by the Declaration of Competence system.

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e-learning

Pain: Part 4 - Specific patient groups


  • Study time: 2h:0m
  • Only available to GPhC members

The aim of this programme is to provide healthcare professionals with a better understanding of pain management and treatment in specific patient groups such as older people, pregnant women and cancer patients.

It is part of a suite of four courses that delve into the topic of pain. Although you can complete the Pain suite in any order, we suggest taking the courses in the following order:

Please note: this e-learning programme has been developed and provided by the Northern Ireland Centre for Pharmacy Learning and Development (NICPLD). Users should recognise that this programme will refer to Northern Ireland's policies and organisations. After ordering this programme, you will be redirected to their website where the resource is hosted. Please be aware that CPPE does not maintain control over the accuracy and currency of this programme.

Learning outcomes

On completion of all aspects of this learning programme you should be able to:

  • list the physiological factors that need to be considered with infants and older people when recommending analgesia
  • discuss the management of non-labour pain during pregnancy and treatment of labour pain
  • describe the analgesic options during breastfeeding
  • understand approaches to postoperative pain
  • define palliative care
  • describe the World Health Organisation's Cancer Pain Ladder and strategies for managing cancer pain
  • understand the priorities when providing end of life care.

How to use this programme

You can access this e-learning programme using a web browser on any device. You will need to be connected to the internet while you work through it.

Learning intended for

  • Pharmacists
  • Pharmacy technicians
  • Trainee pharmacists