Healthy Living Pharmacies

   

The Healthy Living Pharmacy concept was developed by the Department of Health to build on the quality and effectiveness of community pharmacy services.  The concept was piloted in Portsmouth in 2009 and rolled-out nationally in 2011.

The public health white paper "Healthy Lives, Healthy People" published in 2010 recognised the contribution that Healthy Living Pharmacies can make regarding public health services.

"Community pharmacies are a valuable and trusted public health resource.  With millions of contacts with the public each day, there is real potential to use community pharmacy teams more effectively to improve health and wellbeing and reduce health inequalities"

The concept of a Healthy Living Pharmacy is a pharmacy that:

  • Delivers a broad range of commissioned services to a high quality and consistently, whatever the day of the week or month of the year
  • Has a team that are pro-active in supporting health and wellbeing, with the community's health at the centre of what it does
  • Promotes healthy living and wellbeing as a core activity
  • Supports people with long-term conditions
  • Is accessible and approachable
  • Is valued and trusted
  • Maintains premises to a high professional standard with private consultation facilities and IT linked to local practices when available
  • Works closely with other healthcare providers, reactively and proactively; and will be identifiable to the public and other healthcare professionals

To achieve the Healthy Living Pharmacy status pharmacies need to demonstrate three key areas of development:

Developing workforce - includes having Health Living Champions (HLC) and developing leadership skills.

Environment - includes having suitable premises, consultation room(s), health promotion area and IT capability.

Multidisciplinary engagement - working with GPs, Commissioners and other provider service

As you will be aware Plymouth was named as one of just 20 Healthy Living Pharmacy (HLP) Pathfinder sites in the country.  We have been delighted by the interest and enthusiasm shown by pharmacy teams in this project.

Over 90 people attended was a World Cafe event where we asked questions on what pharmacy teams would like to see in the Plymouth Healthy Living project.

The LPC issued the first newsletter in December 2011.

The LPC and NHS Plymouth would like to invite pharmacies to consider becoming a Healthy Living Pharmacy.  The proposed launch of the HLP concept in Plymouth is the 1st April 2012, and there are a number of training activities that will need to be completed before the pharmacy can achieve HLP core status.  Firstly, there will be leadership training over two evenings for the pharmacy manager (pharmacist/non-pharmacist), and secondly there will be a training day for the nominated Health Promotion Champions using the Royal Society of Public Health's Level 2 Award in "Understanding Health Improvement".  As soon as the dates have been arranged details will be posted here and sent to all pharmacies.

The steps you will need to take to apply to become an HLP are:

  • Read letter regarding submission of application form 
  • Ensure you read and understand the Information leaflet 
  • Complete Application Form for Healthy Living Pharmacy
  • The completed forms to be received by no later that 29th January 2012 at the LPC office
  • Decisions will be advised by as soon as possible after this date

We are intending to develop the HLP prospectus as the pharmacies in Plymouth start to work towards becoming accredited.  In the meantime, have a look at the Portsmouth prospectus which will provide an insight into the expectations of the HLPs.   This is the link ..... http://www.portsmouth.nhs.uk/Downloads/General%20Documents/Healthy%20Living%20Pharmacy%20Prospectus%20Dec%202009%20Lowres.pdf

If you have any questions about the process please contact either Mark Stone - Project Lead on 01392 834022 mark@devonlpc.org or James Glanville HLP PCT Champion on 01752 434941 james.glanville1@nhs.net

Click on the links below to download the forms required to apply to become a Healthy Living Pharmacy:

Information Leaflet 

Healthy Living Application Form