Guide
POCT training for pharmacies and GP practices
Anyone testing patients needs documented training and competency assessment before their first real sample: how the device works, how to run and interpret quality control, what breaks results, and what records to keep. A certificate from the device rep is a start, not an answer. Structured training plus a signed competency record is what inspectors and insurers expect.
The gap nobody talks about
Community pharmacy and general practice are doing more testing every year: glucose and HbA1c, CRP to support antibiotic decisions, lipids for health checks, INR clinics. The devices arrive with a demonstration from the supplier and a quick reference card. What rarely arrives is the service around the device: quality control, competency, documentation and the answer to the question an inspector will eventually ask, which is how do you know your results are right.
What staff actually need to learn
- The principle of the test, in plain language: what the device measures, its limits, and what interferes with it.
- Quality control: what to run, how often, what the values mean, and what to do when QC fails. This is the single biggest gap we see.
- Pre analytical technique: most wrong results are made before the sample touches the device.
- Records: QC logs, training records, maintenance, incidents. If it is not written down, it did not happen.
- Boundaries: which results need repeating, which need escalating, and which should not be reported at all.
What evidence looks like
For each member of staff who tests: a record of the training they received, an observed competency assessment signed by someone entitled to sign it, and a reassessment date. For the service: an SOP, a QC log with acceptance rules, and an incident route. That set is proportionate for a small clinic and it is what inspection frameworks expect of any provider doing diagnostics.
Vendor training is not enough
Supplier training teaches the device. It rarely covers QC design, interferences, competency assessment or record keeping, because those belong to your service, not their product. Use the vendor session as one input to your own training and sign off process.
This is exactly why we built POCT Fundamentals for Clinics and Pharmacies: four hours, plain language, templates included, £79. For a whole team going live, an in-house day gets everyone trained and signed off together.
Questions, answered
Can a healthcare assistant legally run point of care tests?
Yes, with appropriate training, competency assessment and supervision arrangements defined by the service. The legal responsibility sits with the provider, which is why documentation matters.
Is the manufacturer's training enough?
No. It covers the device, not your service. Quality control design, competency sign off, records and escalation are your responsibility and need their own training.
What will an inspector ask about our testing?
Typically: who tests, how they were trained and assessed, how you know results are accurate (QC and EQA), what documents govern the service, and what happens when something goes wrong.