The winning entry in the Best Education & Training category at SMART this year was described by the judging panel as “an outstanding piece of training” that is “high quality, well executed and making full use of the evidence base”. This comprehensive POM to P switch training supports pharmacists and support staff to give appropriate advice to women requesting emergency hormonal contraception (EHC), and to make confident recommendations of ellaOne.

Two booklets were produced – one for the pharmacist and one for support staff – both of which received NPA and RPS accreditation. The content includes a conversation-style consultation guide for pharmacists to help women feel less embarrassed and judged when requesting EHC.

Strategies to supplement the paper training have included face-to-face workshop events and an online training portal. The face-to-face events have been particularly effective, resulting in a 58 per cent increase in the number of audience members who felt confident to recommend ellaOne over the counter.

In addition to being named Best Education & Training, ellaOne was awarded Best Product Launch this year. Commenting on ellaOne’s success at SMART, HRA Pharma’s Alison Slingsby said: “We are extremely proud to have won two SMART awards for our work on ellaOne in 2015. The provision of effective emergency contraception and the delivery of accurate and appropriate information on this topic is an important aspect of pharmacy service, and HRA Pharma is committed to investing in support for pharmacy teams in this area. We believe that the whole pharmacy team has a role in the provision of sexual health and helping women at such a vulnerable time.

“It’s wonderful to have been awarded these accolades for our work, which we will build on throughout 2016, with particular focus on helping to further develop consultation skills across the pharmacy teams.”