Briefing paper highlights pharmacy's role to PM
Rui Vieira/PA
Tony Blair speaking in Nottingham |
Ways in which the pharmacy profession is helping to improve Britain's health and how the profession might evolve to complement the Government's public health agenda are discussed in a briefing paper that was distributed to delegates at an “Our nation's future” lecture delivered by Prime Minister Tony Blair in Nottingham this week.
The “Action for public health” paper was written by David
Taylor, professor of pharmaceutical and public health policy, and Jenny
Newbould, research fellow, from the School of Pharmacy, University of
London, and published in conjunction with Boots.
A key challenge for community pharmacists highlighted by the paper is
the extent to which new ways of practising can be developed that contribute
at a population level to promoting enhanced self care. “Community
pharmacists are potentially well positioned to move away from traditional,
paternalistic approaches, towards establishing more equal and productive
partnerships with health service users,” the paper says.
The paper gives examples of public health promotions initiated by Boots
in recent months. Richard Baker, Boots chief executive, speaking before
the Prime Minister’s lecture, said that the pharmacy chain aims “to
provide accessible, affordable and personalised health care. Self care,
helping people to take care of their health, is our number one priority.”
In his lecture, the Prime Minister focused on issues surrounding public
health. He spoke about the concept that problems which are considered
to be public health issues are actually “questions of individual
lifestyle — obesity, smoking, alcohol abuse, diabetes, sexually
transmitted disease”.
Mr Blair said: “Government should play an active role — empowering
people and setting the conditions in which they can choose
responsibly.”
The School of Pharmacy paper says that the development of community pharmacy’s
public health role will depend in part on effective collaboration with
GPs, and on the financial support of primary care trusts and other commissioning
bodies.
The Prime Minister pointed out that “it is clear many PCTs at a
local level must prioritise public health much more vigorously”.
The paper says: “Promoting closer working between pharmacists,
GPs and other primary care professionals should be seen as an important
priority that can be pursued in a variety of ways, including new forms
of premises sharing. [See below.] Pharmaceutical service providers are
important stakeholders in better public health. As professional and business
enterprises they have a clear interest in helping to implement approaches
based on a comprehensive understanding of the determinates of health.
“Pharmacy’s own survival in the 21st century will depend
on building new capacities to deliver services relevant to changing public
health
needs,” it concludes. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
Acrobat
Reader