The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 280 No 7496 p390
5 April 2008

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News summary

New focus for health promotion in hospitals

Health promotion is to be given a new priority in hospitals in Scotland, with NHS boards being told to implement health improvement programmes.

“This programme of activities for NHS boards is designed to ensure that healthcare encounters with patients in acute settings include targeted action to improve patients’ health and prevent future ill-health,” the Scottish Government said in a letter to NHS boards.

The letter identifies five priority areas for health improvement:

• Smoking
• Alcohol consumption
• Breast feeding
• Food and health
• Health at work

For each area, specific actions are given for implementation and boards are asked to provide annual progress reports on each for the next three years.

The letter notes that there are already some examples of these actions taking place in acute care but that the aim now is for this to be replicated throughout Scotland. For example, on smoking, the expectation is for hospitals to provide brief interventions to support smoking cessation for both outpatients and inpatients in maternity units and all acute care settings.

It cites a practice example in Dundee where midwives and health visitors sign-post pregnant women to a community pharmacist for a 12-week smoking cessation scheme. If women quit, they receive free groceries as a reward.