The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has announced that the theme of this year’s ‘Ask Your Pharmacist Week ‘campaign will be ‘Your local pharmacy in the NHS family’.
“It will run from November 2 to 9 and aims both to raise awareness of pharmacy services and to prompt conversations with key stakeholders at a local level about community pharmacy’s role and benefits,” the NPA said.
According to an opinion survey carried out for the NPA in June, only 29 per cent of people are “definitely aware” that community pharmacies are part of the NHS, despite the fact that pharmacies are the most visited of all heathcare settings where NHS care is offered.
Campaign materials will therefore highlight pharmacy-based NHS services and that community pharmacy teams work as a team with other health service providers to deliver patient-centred care, the NPA added in a statement.
In preparation, the NPA is collecting case studies of integrated care in which pharmacies demonstrate great teamwork within the NHS.
Last year’s ‘Ask Your Pharmacist Week ‘campaign was aimed at promoting community pharmacy as a provider of clinical care and the first port of call for help with minor illnesses.
