Public Health (Promotion of Healthy Lifestyles)

Published on: 10th July 2013 | Updated on: 18th October 2023

Each financial year (1st April to 31st March), pharmacies are required to participate in up to six health campaigns at the request of NHS England. This generally involves the display and distribution of leaflets provided by NHS England; see further details below.

In addition, pharmacies are required to undertake prescription-linked interventions on major areas of public health concern, such as encouraging smoking cessation. The requirements are set out in the service specification:

Essential Service 4 – Promotion of Healthy Lifestyles (Public Health) Service Specification
Please note that changes to the requirements for health campaigns have been made since the publication of the service specification.


Health campaigns for 2023/24

The health campaigns for 2023/24 have not yet been agreed between NHS England and Community Pharmacy England. This page will be updated and we will alert community pharmacy contractors through our normal communication channels when they have been agreed.


Click on a heading below for more information.

Previous health campaigns
Financial year
2022/23 There was one national health campaign on weight management. This campaign started on Tuesday 3rd January and finished on Sunday 29th January 2023.

Collection of data on campaigns

Where requested to do so by NHS England, each pharmacy must record the number of people to whom information is provided as part of one of these campaigns. NHS England can also ask for additional information in relation to the campaign.

Any additional information to be requested will initially be discussed with Community Pharmacy England. The aim of requesting additional information will be to help to evaluate the impact of the campaign and to assist with future policy development. Pharmacy owners will be notified of the additional information which needs to be collected and supplied in advance of the campaign starting.

NHS England can request that the information on the campaign is provided to them electronically.

Community Pharmacy England guidance on provision of materials for the public health campaigns

If leaflets and posters or other patient literature are to form part of a public health campaign, these should be provided to the community pharmacy owners by NHS England or alternatively a source of free leaflets, such as the Health and Social Care Publications Orderline, could be highlighted prior to the start of the campaign. It is not a requirement of the service for the contractor to purchase leaflets or to go online and download and print leaflets.

Related resources

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence – Community pharmacies: promoting health and wellbeing (August 2018)

DHSC / Public Health England / NHS England leaflets: some publications for nationally funded public health campaigns are available to order online from the Health and Social Care Publications Orderline or by calling 0300 123 1002.

Public Health England Campaign Resource Centre: The Campaign Resource Centre brings together information for partners on all Public Health England marketing campaigns. It’s the easy way to find the latest campaign information and resources for all campaigns. Community pharmacy teams can download or order materials from this website free of charge.

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