Prevention

The hypertension case-finding service was commissioned as an advanced service from October 2021, supporting the cardiovascular disease prevention agenda to prevent premature death and disability.

More than 400 pharmacies in Greater Manchester are now delivering the service.

The service aims to:

• Identify people with high blood pressure aged 40 years or older (who have previously not had a confirmed diagnosis of hypertension) and refer them to general practice to confirm diagnosis and for appropriate management
• At the request of a general practice, undertake ad hoc clinic and ambulatory blood pressure measurements
• Provide another opportunity to promote healthy behaviours to patients

If your pharmacy is not yet delivering this service, find out more on the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) website.

Community pharmacy has been providing flu vaccinations under a nationally commissioned service since September 2015.

Each year, from September through to March, the NHS runs a seasonal flu vaccination campaign aiming to vaccinate all patients who are at risk of developing more serious complications from the virus. The accessibility of pharmacies, their extended opening hours and the option to walk in without an appointment have proved popular with patients seeking vaccinations.

Further information is available on the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) website.

74 community pharmacies in Greater Manchester were commissioned to support the Covid-19 pharmacy programme in 2021/22. Community pharmacies in Greater Manchester have been praised for their contribution and adaptability to respond to the needs of our local community at short notice.

More than 100 community pharmacies are now commissioned to provide Covid-19 vaccination services for the autumn 2022 booster programme. Find out more about the expressions of interest process.

Healthy Living Pharmacy (HLP) is an essential service. All contractors across England must meet the requirements outlined in the national contract since January 2021.

The HLP framework aims to achieve consistent provision of a broad range of health promotion interventions through community pharmacies to meet local need, improving the health and wellbeing of the local population and helping to reduce health inequalities.

For the February 2019 Quality Payments Scheme, 9,535 pharmacies in England (85 per cent) declared they were an HLP.

HLP is an organisational development framework underpinned by three enablers:

• Workforce development – a skilled team to proactively support and promote behaviour change and improve health and wellbeing, including a qualified Health Champion who has undertaken the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) Level 2 Award ‘Understanding Health Improvement’, and a team member who has undertaken leadership training.
• Engagement – local stakeholder engagement with other health and care professionals (especially general practice), community services, local authorities and members of the public.
• Environment (premises requirements) – premises that facilitate health promoting interventions with a dedicated health promotion zone.

The adoption of HLPs marked a significant development for community pharmacy and its contribution to health promoting interventions. The HLP framework aims to improve people’s health, help reduce health inequalities and ensures community pharmacy can continue to contribute to the Government’s ambition of putting prevention at the heart of the NHS, as set out in the NHS Long Term Plan.

Further information can be found on the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) website.

The Community Pharmacy Provider Board has been working closely with the Local Professional Network (LPN) and Greater Manchester workforce to obtain funding for training of Healthy Living Pharmacy champions and Healthy Living Pharmacy leaders to ensure community pharmacy can effectively engage with patients, support prevention and support local communities to stay well through Making Every Contact Count (MECC). This will support quality improvement and ensure staff are supported to support patients with healthy living advice, engage in health promotion campaigns and support the NHS prevention agenda for patients from all walks of life.

The Community Pharmacy Provider Board hosts training offers and support for community pharmacy through the Greater Manchester Healthcare Academy, which is a collaboration between Bolton Local Pharmacy Committee, Greater Manchester Local Pharmacy Committee, the LPN and CHL. Further information is available on the Greater Manchester Healthcare Academy website.

Access funded training places for Healthy Living Pharmacy champions and leaders.