Pharmacies across the country are to be invited to become Healthy Living Pharmacy Pathfinder sites. Developed and implemented by NHS Portsmouth, Healthy Living Pharmacies (HLP) are making a real difference to the health and wellbeing of their communities by delivering high-quality public health services such as stopping smoking, weight loss, contraception and sexual health and advice on alcohol.
The HLP Pathfinder Support Group has now set the criteria for Pathfinder sites and is actively looking for areas to include as Pathfinder sites to demonstrate that the HLP framework can work in all sorts of areas, helping to reach a wide range of communities.
Deborah Evans, HLP Project Manager, said:
“Becoming an HLP pathfinder is a great opportunity to play an important role in the collection of data and evidence and shape the potential future for community pharmacy whilst receiving the backing of the national pharmacy organisations – CCA, CPPE, PSNC, NPA and RPS”.
Healthy Living Pharmacy Pathfinder sites will play an important role in the future direction of community pharmacy and the aim is for at least 100 more community pharmacies to become HLPs by end of March 2012. Successful launches have already taken place in Birmingham, Southampton and the Isle of Wight. Interest in the HLP concept is spreading and was hailed as an example of good practice in the Government’s recent Public Health White Paper.
LPCs will receive expression of interest forms and pre-qualification questionnaires on Friday 10th June. Applications must be made jointly with commissioners, and successful sites will be announced at the beginning of August.
UPDATE 10th JUNE
Members can now download the pathfinders criteria document here.
