Leading MP To Launch 'Ask Your Pharmacist Week'

Main Category: Pharmacy / Pharmacist
Article Date: 30 Sep 2009 - 1:00 PDT


The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has this week announced the launch of the first ever 'Ask Your Pharmacist (AYP) Week', taking place at the start of November. AYP Week (9th to 15th November) has been set up to raise awareness of seven key services that patients can access through community pharmacy, and to promote pharmacists as the experts in medicines.

AYP Week will be launched at a parliamentary reception, hosted by Conservative Shadow Health Minister Mark Simmonds MP, on 4th November in the House of Commons. The reception will be attended not only by parliamentarians and policy makers, but also by other stakeholders within the health sector including representatives of PCTs and SHAs, patients groups, industry and pharmacy bodies.

AYP Week will raise understanding of the services that community pharmacy provides today, and new services that will become widespread in future. The campaign will champion seven services available to patients through community pharmacies, one for every day of the week. Such services include Stopping Smoking, Medicines Use Reviews, NHS Health Checks and Allergy Screening.

These services will be demonstrated first hand to policy and decision makers at the parliamentary reception on the 4th November, with seven practising pharmacists present. Each will champion a service that they personally offer to their patients and the public. Guests will also be invited to undertake an NHS Check conducted by a practising pharmacist during the reception.

John Turk, Chief Executive of the National Pharmacy Association said: "Ask Your Pharmacist Week will promote pharmacists as health champions, showcasing the services they provide to encourage wellness, along with the services that treat illness. Today's pharmacies are enhancing a safe and effective medicines supply function, with services that ensure people get the most out of the medicines they use. Pharmacists play an invaluable role in delivering major NHS services, and in improving the health of the nation, and in future they will be doing even more. I am delighted that Mark is supporting the campaign and I very much look forward to the Parliamentary reception in November."

Mark Simmonds MP, Conservative Health Minister and host of the AYP Parliamentary Reception said: "I am delighted to be hosting the AYP Week Parliamentary Reception on 4th November. Community pharmacy has a huge role to play in delivering new NHS services and tackling public health priorities in local communities. There is a real desire and capability to take on more responsibility in the future, and I hope that this event contributes to helping the profession develop in the future."

About AYP Week

'Ask Your Pharmacist Week' is taking place during the week beginning Monday 9th November. AYP Week will promote 7 services available from community pharmacy and will encourage the public to access these services. http://www.askyourpharmacist.co.uk will be promoted to the public as a tool to find a community pharmacy that provides the relevant service.

The 7 services being promoted are:

- Allergy Screening
- Chlamydia testing and treatment
- Health Checks (cholesterol, blood pressure, BMI)
- Medicine Use reviews
- Minor Ailments
- Stop Smoking
- Supplementary Prescribing (prescribing medicines, within agreed Clinical Management Plans for conditions such as Asthma and Diabetes).

About the Parliamentary Reception

'Ask Your Pharmacist Week' will be launched at a parliamentary reception taking place at 12.45pm on Wednesday 4th November 2009 in the House of Commons Terrace Marquee. Mark Simmonds MP is hosting the session. For further information about the event, or to attend, please email npa@luther.co.uk.

Source
National Pharmacy Association

• Additional
• References
• Citations