Public health details of Scottish contract unveiled
Using pharmacy windows for health promotion will attract funding |
Details of the public health service, one of the core services within the new community
pharmacy contract in Scotland, were announced this week.
The aim of the public health service is to underpin community pharmacists’ contribution
to health protection, health improvement and medicine safety. This will
be delivered through a number of approaches including creating health
promotion areas within pharmacies, participation in national health promotion
campaigns and provision of opportunistic health advice.
On top of the basic service that all pharmacies will have to provide,
there is an optional extra of using pharmacy windows or shop frontage
to display health promotion messages. Standard display materials will
be provided on national themes so that a consistent message is promoted
across all participating pharmacies. Payment for the public health service
will be a fixed fee. Pharmacies that also participate in window displays
will receive a second fixed fee.
Frank Owens, chairman of the Scottish Pharmaceutical General Council,
stressed how important the network of community pharmacies across Scotland
will be for the success of the public health service. “There are
1,168 pharmacies in Scotland, strategically located in the hearts of
local communities as well as in the high streets of our towns and cities.
We want to build on that network, maximising the opportunities for the
future, creating a network of readily accessible, community based, health
promoting facilities. That means making optimum use of staff and pharmacy
premises to provide consistent and co-ordinated public health messages,” he
explained.
Mr Owens estimated that around 600,000 people visit community pharmacies
in Scotland every day. “Many of those are patients but we also
see significant numbers of healthy individuals. In many cases, community
pharmacy provides what may well be the only readily accessible point
of contact such individuals have with the NHS. It is this unique profile
that we want to build upon,” he said. “Through the public
health service, community pharmacists will finally be recognised as integral
members of the public health practitioner team.”
Bill Scott, chief pharmaceutical officer at the Scottish Executive, commented: “The
public health service element of the new community pharmacy contract
is the first step in expanding the contribution community pharmacists
and their support staff make in helping to tackle Scotland’s poor
health record.”
A new website providing details of the pharmacy contract
in Scotland and the ePharmacy programme is now available at www.communitypharmacy.scot.nhs.uk
New contract roadshows The SPGC will be holding new contract roadshows in eight
locations across Scotland. Dates and venues will be announced next week. It is
expected that the roadshows will begin in late April and run until mid-May, with
an additional national event in May.
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Scottish contract
2006 p443 |
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