The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) is partnering with healthcare company Medicspot to offer discounted prices for pharmacies that want to sell Covid-19 PCR test kits.

The demand for Covid testing, particularly for travel, is expected to rise since the prime minister published a four-step roadmap to ease lockdown restrictions, the NPA believes.

The partnership follows new guidance issued at the beginning of February on the provision of point of care tests. Shortly afterwards the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) removed its prohibition on Covid testing in pharmacies and the sale of Covid test kits by pharmacies.

Pharmacies selling Covid-19 PCR test kits in England are now required to self-declare to the Department of Health that they have become a private Covid-19 testing provider. The new guidelines clarify the minimum standards pharmacies are expected to meet when selling Covid tests to organisations or members of the public.

The list of requirements needed for DHSC approval includes the need for a designated clinical or medical director, a procedure for reporting test results and clear governance and lines of accountability.

Medicspot provides an end-to-end service to manage the bulk of these requirements, said the NPA, giving pharmacies the ability to sell Covid-19 PCR test kits whilst meeting their governance obligations. Medicspot has developed a support tool to help NPA pharmacies that sell their testing kits to self-declare with DHSC.

Medicspot is offering NPA members discounts of  between 16 and 28 per cent on Covid-19 PCR tests, depending on the quantity ordered. A free digital marketing pack is included with orders which includes assets for social media, digital displays and a sales toolkit for staff.

Once a customer has bought a test kit and taken their sample they can drop it off at one of 60 Medicspot hubs nationwide or use the Royal Mail return label that is provided. Customers are emailed their certificate 24 hours after the lab receives their sample.

NPA Insurance will cover the sale, supply and use of Covid-19 antibody, PCR and antigen testing kits (including the use of antigen and PCR testing kits for the purposes of ‘fit to fly’ certificates).