NHS presses on with making community pharmacy a more inclusive environment for all professionals

NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE&I), in association with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and the Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK (APTUK), has published its first inclusive pharmacy practice (IPP) bulletin, with an overarching ambition "to make community pharmacy a more inclusive environment for all pharmacy professionals".

The IPP programme will take practical steps to improve the awareness and understanding at all levels of different cultural beliefs and attitudes, according to the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC).

As a member of the IPP Improving Practice and Engagement Group, PSNC has contributed to this issue of the Bulletin, which focuses on how pharmacy professionals can help to reduce health inequalities via the detection and prevention of cardiovascular diseases.

The IPP programme, of which the Bulletin forms a part, aims to engage with local communities to help improve their health and reduce inequalities in care – particularly among those from ethnically diverse and disadvantaged backgrounds.

Responding to the publication of the Bulletin, James Wood, PSNC’s director of contractor and LPC support, said: “We were delighted to contribute to the first IPP Bulletin, which we hope will help increase the awareness within the sector of the importance of encouraging inclusion and diversity in community pharmacy.

"The Bulletin is also a valuable way to highlight the many achievements of the sector, such as the work community pharmacy teams up and down the country are doing to provide blood pressure checks to patients via the NHS Hypertension Case-Finding Service.”

David Webb, the chief pharmaceutical officer for England, said: “Our work on Inclusive Pharmacy Practice is a key priority. Thank you to PSNC for taking part in the Improving Practice and Engagement Group, which collaborates and shares learning to improve equality, inclusion and patient care.”