Public health consultation is an opportunity for pharmacy, task group member says
Pharmacy and pharmacists could be recognised as major players in health delivery if they take advantage of the current consultation on ways of improving public health.
That is the view of Fiona Harris, chief pharmacist at Guildford and Waverley
Primary Care Trust, and a member of the public health task group on maximising
the NHS contribution in primary care. LloydsPharmacy’s superintendent
pharmacist Andy Murdoch is a member of the communities task group (PJ,
10 April, p435).
Mrs Harris said that PCTs should be running events locally as part of
the consultation in which pharmacists and local pharmaceutical committees
could be involved.
Mrs Harris told The Journal: “I believe the forthcoming White Paper
is a real opportunity to get pharmacy and pharmacists truly recognised
as major players, not only in delivering interventions for health, but
also as a key part of prevention.”
Mrs Harris said: “The Secretary of State for Health made it clear
that society knows what the risks are — smoking, obesity, etc — but
what we need to know is how to deliver the messages and how to get people
to take the messages seriously. ... I think this is the opportunity
for pharmacy to be seen to lead with ideas and solutions, so, as a profession,
we need to get involved and be proactive, not reactive.” |
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