UK Health Radio – Medical News Update - Pharmacies’ role in Health Care

UK Health Radio – Medical News Update

Pharmacies’ role in Health Care

The BBC has reported that a study by Durham University team has suggested that 89% of England's population live within a 20-minute walk of a pharmacy. In more deprived areas, the proportion was closer to 100%.

The researchers went on to suggest that with more support pharmacies could provide everything from blood-pressure checks and diabetes screening to lifestyle advice.  Although it is true that some pharmacies are already doing this, researchers found that it very much depended on whether local health bosses were willing to fund them.

Lead author of the study, Dr Adam Todd said: "These results show that pharmacies are well-placed in the community to deliver public health services.  This is particularly important for the poorest areas where more people die from conditions such as smoking, alcohol misuse and obesity compared to people from more affluent areas. With easy access and where patients do not need to make an appointment, the results suggest there is a potential for community pharmacies to deliver public health interventions to areas that need them most."

The paper was published in the BMJ Open journal and said pharmacies could play a particularly vital role because the often-quoted inverse care law did not seem to apply.

That refers to the fact that the areas with the best health services tended to be the ones with the least health problems.

But as the deprived areas had the better access to pharmacies, the reverse was true, the study, which used a postcode analysis, said.

English Pharmacy Board chair Dr David Branford said the study demonstrated the "huge potential" the sector could have.

"The less formal approach and sheer convenience provided by a High Street presence means they are a beacon of wellbeing and advice to many who would simply never engage with other healthcare settings."

NHS England has already called for pharmacies to get more involved in delivering care with the review of urgent and emergency care last year suggesting up to a fifth of GP appointments could be dealt with by pharmacies or through better self-care.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said the number of pharmacies had increased by nearly 2,000 since 2005 to 11,500.

Amanda Thomas

UK Health Radio – Medical News Update

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