Overview
This quality standard covers how community pharmacies can support the health and wellbeing of the local population. It describes high-quality care in priority areas for improvement.
This standard is based on NICE Guideline 102.
This standard should be read in conjunction with QS183, QS129, QS178, QS125, QS111, QS94, QS92, QS82, QS28, QS25, QS8, and QS6.
Reflecting on Your Learnings
Reflection is important for continuous learning and development, and a critical part of the revalidation process for UK healthcare professionals. Click here to access the Guidelines Reflection Record.
Quality Statement 1: Advice and Education
People who have a long-term health condition or those who look for support to improve their health and wellbeing are offered advice and education when they use community pharmacy services.
Rationale
Community pharmacies are well placed to offer health and wellbeing advice and education to everyone in the local community, whether they have a long-term health condition or may benefit from support to improve their health and wellbeing.
Community pharmacy teams are in a position to start general conversations about health and wellbeing with people who buy medicines or ask for advice. These informal conversations may encourage people to ask more questions, consider how they feel or how their behaviours may be affecting their health.
Community pharmacy teams can offer support with adopting healthier behaviours, including stopping smoking, reducing alcohol consumption, and managing weight. They can also provide more information on mental and physical wellbeing, deliver brief interventions and signpost to other services.
Outcome
a) Proportion of people using community pharmacy services who received health and wellbeing advice or education.
b) Proportion of people using community pharmacy services who were satisfied with the health and wellbeing advice or education they received.
Data source: Local data collection, for example, review of information recorded as part of the Community Pharmacy Patient Questionnaire.
Quality Statement 2: Expertise and Services Available From Community Pharmacy Teams
Community pharmacies and commissioners work together to raise awareness of the health and wellbeing expertise and services available from community pharmacy teams.
Rationale
Community pharmacies have the potential to play a greater role in health promotion, prevention, early recognition of ill health and managing minor illness.
Community pharmacy teams are made up of highly skilled, knowledgeable and easily accessible professionals who provide NHS services. They can also be a link into the wider health and care network. Raising awareness of their skills, knowledge and responsibilities among members of the public and health and social care practitioners should improve confidence in the support they provide. It should also help to overcome barriers to taking full advantage of this valuable resource.
Outcome
a) Uptake of referrals into community pharmacy.
Data source: Local data collection, for example, review of pharmacy systems recording inward referrals.
b) Public understanding of the support available from local community pharmacies.
Data source: Local data collection, for example, review of information recorded as part of the Community Pharmacy Patient Questionnaire.
Quality Statement 3: Integrating Services Into Care and Referral Pathways
Community pharmacies and commissioners work together to integrate community pharmacy services into care and referral pathways.
Rationale
Community pharmacy teams have an important role in supporting the health and wellbeing of local populations. Integrating community pharmacies into local health and social care pathways, through effective partnership working and collaboration, will offer people effective, convenient and easily accessible services. It will also reduce duplication of work and relieve pressure on the wider health and social care system.
Within a well-integrated care pathway, community pharmacy teams should not only be able to support people to maintain their health and wellbeing, but also to refer or signpost them to other health services, and services offered by local authorities and organisations in the community and voluntary sectors.
Outcome
Proportion of community pharmacy team members satisfied with the availability of referral pathways.
Data source: Local data collection, for example, information collected through surveys of community pharmacy teams.
Quality Statement 4: Health Inequalities
Community pharmacies and commissioners work together to agree health and wellbeing interventions to support people from underserved groups.
Rationale
Community pharmacy teams are often well established within the community, have good relationships with the local population, and a good understanding of their needs and challenges.
People from underserved groups, such as some minority ethnic groups, people who are homeless or have no permanent address, and those unlikely to use other healthcare services, can get support when they need it without making an appointment.
This knowledge and expertise within community pharmacies can inform commissioning of health and wellbeing interventions that are most relevant to the local population and will have the biggest impact on health inequalities.
Outcome
Proportion of community pharmacy team members who agree that the health and wellbeing services that they are commissioned to deliver reIect the needs of the local population.
Data source: Local data collection, for example, information collected through surveys of community pharmacy teams.
Improving Outcomes
This quality standard is expected to contribute to improvements in the following outcomes:
- understanding of services provided by community pharmacies
- confidence in community pharmacy teams as providers of health and wellbeing services
- uptake of interventions offered by community pharmacies
- referral pathways across the health and care system
- health outcomes among the population
- health inequalities
- pharmacy as the first place people go with a non-urgent health issue.