HLP – Engagement
Published on: 18th November 2020 | Updated on: 22nd August 2023
This Healthy Living Pharmacy (HLP) enabler outlines the requirements for pharmacy owners to support patients where they require advice, treatment and/or support.
Under the Signposting service, pharmacy owners are required to signpost or refer patients to other health and care providers if it is clear they require advice, treatment and/or support that the contractor is unable to provide.
The Public Health (Promotion of Healthy Lifestyles) service includes a requirement for prescription-linked healthy living advice to be provided to patients presenting prescriptions to be dispensed who appear to have diabetes, be at risk of coronary heart disease, smoke or be overweight.
What is different in HLP?
With regards to the promotion of healthy living, contractors must:
- Proactively engage with patients and the public using the pharmacy, to offer them advice, support and signposting to other providers of services in the community;
- Encourage charities and other providers to work with the pharmacy for delivery of key health messages; and
- Direct patients and the public to health and wellbeing providers and resources appropriate to their needs, where this is necessary (e.g. specialist clinics, Smoking Cessation, Drug and Alcohol Services, Health Trainer Service, weight management services, mental health services, community exercise groups).
Pharmacy owners must also undertake a community engagement exercise at least once per financial year for the promotion of healthy living, which involves:
- actively working in collaboration with other organisations to deliver pharmacy outreach and any locally commissioned services; and
- taking prevention and health promotion services beyond the pharmacy premises. Pharmacy outreach may be face to face and take services to people where they live or spend time or may be virtual events.
When pharmacy owners and staff work in collaboration with other community organisations to undertake pharmacy outreach and any commissioned services, the pharmacy owner and the other organisation must undertake a risk assessment prior to the outreach activity to ensure that any activities are undertaken in a safe and culturally competent way.
